A Fox's Angel
by JAYSEN
Summary: Two containers, one angelic and one demonic. What are the odds of that meeting? Find out for yourselves.
1. Chapter 1

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**Hey there and welcome to my second fic. I noticed that there was no crossover for Naruto with Steel Angel Kurumi, so I decided to write one and maybe get the ball rolling, 'maybe' being the key word here. I just feel that with Naruto's past, he could use someone like her in his life. Enough with my ranting B.S, so...**

**ON WITH THE FIC!!!!**

**A FOX'S ANGEL**

**PROLOUGE**

**Armageddon was happening. The final reckoning, the Judgement Day that had been prophesized by every religion since the beginning of the Human Race, had finally come. Beings that could only be called Demons had descended upon the world and began to wreak havoc. They were massively powerful and destroyed all in their path, and were later called the Bijuu. They were named thus for the tails they had, ranging from one to nine according to their power.**

**The people of this day and age had highly advanced technonlogy, vast knowledge, and powerful weapons, all of which were brought to bear against the other-worldly threat. But it was all for naught, as all of their weapons did little to no damage to their foes, and the massive demons continued their onslaught unhampered by what little resistance they could muster.**

**However, the heavens had not yet abandoned humanity in its hour of need. Scientists and researchers had made a miraculous discovery, the crystalized spirits of angels, called Angel Hearts. Their best and brightest minds quickly created android bodies to house these hearts and combat the demons. They dubbed they keys to their survival, Steel Angels.**

**Sadly, these intended harbingers of salvation were not powerful enough to turn back the threat that the demons posed. In order to reach their full potential, the hearts needed to be infused with the Chakra, an inner energy that resided in all things. The few people who could harness and use it were too weak to be of any use. The people of this advanced society were simply unable to connect with hearts of the Angels, who had come from a purely spiritual realm.**

**The angels fought with all of the might they possessed, but there was never a clear victor and humanity caught in the crossfire. Finally, after their thirst for death and destruction had been sated, they fell silent. The few Angels that had survived the brutal fighting had followed suit, falling into a deep slumber where the fell. The last vestiges of humanity had come out of hiding to start rebuilding their broken world. Upon finding the slumbering forms of their would be saviors, they enshrined them, allowing them to sleep for all eternity.**

**Many generations had come and gone since humanity came face to face with annhilation, around 700 years. Human kind had rebuilt their world into a strange amalgamation of Fuedal Era Japan with the technology of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. The number of chakra users had grown exponentially and the strength of their powers soared. This gave rise to the rebirth of the ninja and their villages. But through all of the rebuilding and progress, the Angels still lay sleeping, all but forgotten with the passage of time.**

**One day, the mighty Bijuu had risen again and freely roamed the world once again. But this time, humanity was ready. A man with the power to contain and suppress the power of the Bijuu had come forth and trapped them, giving them out to other ninja villages in order to maintain a fragile balance of power that existed. However, of all the Bijuu that were captured, one remained at large. The last free demon was the most powerful and cunning of them all, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Fox. The man responsible for trapping the rest was later known as the Shodaime Hokage, Hashirama Senju. He knew about the existence of the Angels and their original purpose, but he opted to let them sleep. The one that was entrusted to Konoha was still sleeping inside of a mountain that later became the Hokage monument. The knowledge of the Angel was to be passed down from Hokage to Hokage, until she would be needed again.**

**Ninety years later, during the reign of the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, the final Tailed Beast attacked Konoha, as if under a daze. What no one saw, was a man with a strange orange mask and whose one visible eye had a strange pin-wheel like symbol, watching the destruction the Kyuubi was causing with disturbing glee. Minato had no time to find and awaken the sleeping angel, and had to go with a plan of last resort. He took with him a newborn boy, and sealed the mighty beast into him. The sealing had a ghastly price. Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash and Yondaime Hokage of Konoha, has sacrificed his very soul and the child's chances at a normal life before it even really began, was dead. His dying wish was that the child be viewed as a hero for his role in saving the village, but sadly, it wasn't meant to be.**

**Fear and ignorace swept throught the village like virulent plague, the villagers and ninja alike were demanding the life of the very child that saved them all from the demon's rampage and all put spat on the sacrifices that were made for their sakes. The retired Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, stepped back in to take over as Hokage once again, and tried to protect the innocent boy with laws that forbade anyone from mentioning the demon ever again and from telling the younger generation, trying to give the young boy a chance to live a normal life.**

**This only served to further infuriate the people of Konoha, as they began to alienate the boy, treating him worse than a criminal and garbage and stubbornly clinging to the notion that he is really just the demon in human form. This lead to the poor boy growing up hated and alone, unwanted and unloved by all.**

A/N : I know how the Bijuu really came about, but for my fic, this is how it happened. I needed a way to tie the two series together and still make it sound credible and original, quite a task with how many ideas that have been explored already. As with my other fic, feel free to leave comments and whatnot or even contact me.


	2. The ReAwakening

_**CHAPTER 1: THE RE-AWAKENING**_

_**HOKAGE MONUMENT APRIL 14th **_

A young boy wandered through the catacombs that ran inside of Hokage Mountain, more specifically the head of the Shodaime. Naruto Uzumaki, now 12 years old and freshly graduated from the Konoha Ninja Academy, was searching for a supposed seal treasure that he read about in the forbidden scroll at the same time when he learned the Kage Bunshin.

That night, he learned that he was the vessel of the dreaded Kyuubi no Kitsune, the reason why everyone hated him and wanted nothing to do with him. An Academy Instructor turned traitor named Mizuki told him in a rant after tricking him into stealing the scroll. Naruto fought Mizuki and defeated him, delivering the scroll back to the Hokage. Upon his arrival, he was credited with a B-Rank Mission and rewarded with the rank of Genin. The next morning, he set out on the little treasure hunt he is now currently on.

He wandered throughout the long abandoned catacombs for at least a few hours making his way to a sealed off room that was mentioned inside the scroll. Finally, he stumbled across a large steel door with a simple seal tag on it. He studied the seal for a moment and wondered to himself. "Is this it? I hope so, 'cause I'm getting kinda hungry..." He grumbled as he applied some blood to the tag and performed the Ram Seal. "Fuuin : Kai!!"

No sooner than he released the seal, the doors hissed and slid open to allow him entry into the hidden chamber. With the rush of air inside the chamber, a lot of dust was kicked up in his face, which made him cough. "Wow...I don't think anyone's been in here for years...I wonder why it was sealed up?"

As if to answer his question, the lights inside to room kicked on and the machines that were lying dormant whirred back to life, which scared the crap out of the diminuitive blonde. "Wha-What the hell?!" He yelled, as if expecting an answer.

He was in for yet another surprize, as a pod-like device in the center of the chamber hissed as its blue cover lifted up, to reveal a person inside of it. He walked up, brushing away some of the vapors that obscured his vision, to see the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his life, lying still as death with her hands folded across her sternum.

He noted that she had pink hair with bangs that framed a cherubic face, that she was taller than him, slender, and looked to be in her late teens, around 17 or 18, had creamy white skin and a pure white gown.

"What...the hell. What is this? This is really starting to creep me out..." He stammered out. As he stared into the pod, a blast of hot vapor behind him made him launch forward by reflex...on a collision course with the girl's lips.

Just as fast as he entered the involuntary lip lock, he pulled away. Part of him kind of enjoyed it, but the rest of him wondered about something. "N-no way...She isn't breathing, theres no pulse, but she felt warm to the touch. What the hell is going on here?" He breathed out, his tension rising.

In the back of his mind, a presence sparked to life and muttered out in a tone that conveyed interest. _**"A Steel Angel...Interesting. I didn't think any survived."**_

Naruto was about to question the voice in his head about just what the hell it was, when the sleeping girl slowly sat up, got out of the pod, and made her way over to him. Fear made him back peddle into the far wall of the room, but when he ran out of room, he sank into the corner and was rooted to the spot.

She had reached him and bent down reaching for him. He shut his eyes and waited for the worst, but it never came. The hands that reached out to him gently caressed his face and he opened up his eyes to chance a look at her. When he did, he found that he eyes were a sparkling, beautiful blue, full of life and energy, much like his own.

The girl rewarded him with a bright and gentle smile and breathed out the word, "Master...I've waited...for so long..." Before she collapsed into his arms. He frantically checked her for a pulse, and found one. He was further assured by the steady rise and fall of her chest, as if she were only asleep."

He heaved out a large sigh as he hefted the beautiful sleeping girl onto his back and began his trek back to the village. "The old man's gonna LOVE this..." He grumbled sarcasitcally.

Unbeknownst to him, said old man already knew about Naruto's new 'friend', as he had watched the short blonde genin from when he entered the catacombs. He saw everything, the first encounter, the kiss, and the girl's re-awakening via his crystal ball.

_'So, Naruto...You've gained a new friend, and a very special one at that. I hope you will realize that she is very special, just like you.'_ He thought as he leaned back in his chair._'This must be fate's way of making up for the all horrors you have had to endure in your short life.'_ He thought as he waited for

_**HOKAGE TOWER **_

Sarutobi didn't have to wait very long for Naruto to show up at his door. Soon, he could hear the pint-sized Genin arguing with his Chuunin guard...

_"Awww, come on! I just wanna talk to the old man!!"_

_"No, I'm not letting you waste his time just so you can introduce your new girlfriend!"_

_"She's NOT my girlfriend, you jerk!"_

_"Oh, then you don't mind if I take a shot at her? You're too young anyways, and she's much too cute for you."_

_"Screw you! I'll knock you into next week!"_

_"Sure, sure..."_

_"Oh yeah?! I'll sure sure your ass!"_

Finally, his secretary got tired of all of the yelling and took matters into her own hands.

_"WOULD THE TWO OF YOU JUST SHUT UP?!?! YOU, GO TO THAT CORNER, AND YOU, TO THAT CORNER!!"_ She hollared.

Sarutobi opened his office door to see one of the funniest things he'd seen in a while : A grown man, a Chuunin and a Genin sulking in the opposite corners of the room, like they were put in a time out like little kids. Meanwhile, his secretary had a look on her face that could hush a crying child.

"Um...Izumi-san..." He called to her.

"WHAT?!?! Oh, Hokage-sama! What can I do for you?"

That sharp outburst actually sort of scared HIM, but he ventured on. "I'll see Naruto-kun now."

"Oh, all right. Naruto Uzumaki, you can come out of time out, but let that be a lesson to you, mister!"

"Naruto could only nod dumbly. "Y-yes, ma'am!" He stuttered. He never wanted to make that woman angry ever again, as he shuffled inside the office. Once inside, he gently set the sleeping girl down on a sofa in the corner. He suddenly felt the Hokage's eyes on him. "L-listen old man...I-I can explain...Let's see...um..." He blurted out as he fished for excuses as to why he had a sleeping girl on his back.

To his surprize, the elderly shinobi smiled at him and waved off his explaination. "No need, Naruto-kun. I already know...She's a very pretty young lady, isn't she? " He told his favorite troublemaker.

Naruto froze, expressing the deer-in-the-headlights look to a teeas he slowly turned his head to see a wide cat-got-the-canary grin on the old man's face. "WHAT?! Then...You saw..." He squeaked out with his face glowing atomic red from embarrassment.

"Yes, everything. From the time you entered the catacombs, up to your _"first kiss"_. My, my...I didn't know you were ready for that yet, my boy." He teased naruto even further. He loved to tease the boy, especially due to how flustered he would get, just like his old student, Jiraiya, when he was Naruto's age. He considered this revenge for Naruto pulling the Sexy Jutsu on him the previous night.

"I-It's not like that...I-it was...an accident! Yeah, an accident! _It did feel kinda nice,_ but that's not the point!!"

The old Hokage just couldn't hold it anymore as he let loose with a great big belly laugh. "Okay, okay! I believe you, Naruto-kun!" He told him as the laughter died, down. But when it did, he went into full Hokage mode. "All of that aside, you must now take good care of her."

Naruto looked bewildered for a moment as his embarrassment died down. "Of course I will, old man! Why?"

"To put it simply, she is very special, like you in a way."

The short blonde's mood and face turned downcast as he was reminded of his own burden. "Oh. Like me, huh?"

"Naruto, I know you'll...What?" He paused in mid-sentence. He noticed that their guest was starting to stir. Then, she sat up and rubbed her eyes cutely while yawning and stretching her arms.

"MMMNN! That was a good nap!" She chirped, but paused when she noticed her surroundings and Sarutobi. "Wait a minute...Where the heck am I? Do you know where this is, old man?" She asked him innocently.

The Sandaime chuckled warmly. "My dear, welcome to Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. This is a ninja village, and I am its leader, the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi." He told her as he introduced himself. He then turned his attention to Naruto. "This is Naruto Uzumaki. He his one of the ninja under my command and the one who brought you here." He gestured to the young blonde Genin.

The pink-haired girl squinted for a moment when she looked at Naruto, then her crystalline eyes flew wide with excitement and recognition. "Master!!!" She cried as she tackled the unprepared jinchuriki. She was busy giggling and cuddling Naruto to her...considerable chest. "Oooh, master! Your so hair is soft and you are just sooo cuddly!"

Sarutobi couldn't help but wish that he was Naruto right now, but Naruto was kind of having trouble breathing. This girl was strong, damn strong, as well as nearly strangling him, but she meant well. "H-Hey...n-nee-chan...AIR!!!" Naruto gasped as he was going blue in the face.

"Oh! Master, I'm so sorry!" She gasped as she let go.

"I-It's...okay...just...be careful. Man, you're strong!"

As much as Sarutobi liked their banter, they weren't done yet. He cleared his throat loudly to gain their attention. "Now then, young lady...back to business. Would you mind telling us your name?"

"My name's Kurumi!" She chirped. She went on to tell them that she was a Steel Angel and that Naruto was her master since he was the one to awaken her.

Naruto was of course confused, so Sarutobi simplified it for him. The legend of the Steel Angels was passed down from Hokage to Hokage via the forbidden scroll, so he knew exactly what she was. "Well, just like you are the container for a demon, she is the container for an angel." He whispered to him.

Sarutobi had no intention of letting out Naruto's secret. It was his to tell now and Naruto thanked him for that. Sarutobi got down to telling Kurumi how things were in the village and Naruto's role as an active duty shinobi in Konoha's forces.

She mostly understood, thanks to Sarutobi being used to explaining things to Naruto for so long. She now knew that her master had a dangerous job and that she might not be able to be near him all the time. He would have to do many things on his own, but from what the old Hokage told her, Naruto had to do almost everything from a very young age, so he could take care of himself.

Just then, both of their stomachs rumbled. The Hokage still had some paperwork to finish, so he gave them both coupons for a free bowl of ramen at Ichiraku's, and sent them on their way. _'Naruto...Now you have your very own angel, one who will stay by your side till the end of your days and beyond. I think that the heavens are trying to make things up to you for your life thus far. I wish you happiness, my dear boy.'_

_**KONOHA STREETS **_

The newly formed duo walked down Tea street leading from Hokage Tower, to a clothing store for Kurumi. Not even a few minutes after they emerged from the tower, the pink-haired angel's short gown was attracting too much attention from the men folk.

After the first few stores threw him out, he used his Oiroke no Jutsu to disguse himself. "Now listen, Kurumi-chan. In this form, I'm Naruko, not master. Okay?"

"Okay!" She was still amazed that the people here could do stuff like that, including her master. They proceeded into the store where Kurumi got some new clothes to help her fit in. When she stepped out of the dressing room, she was blushing up a storm. "Do you like it?" She asked. She had on a royal blue yukata top with an orange sash, black bike shorts, blue shinobi sandals, and a blue ribbon to tie up her long hair into a low ponytail.

Naruto definately liked what he saw. "Y-Yeah..." He uttered as he let the Henge drop from lack of concentraition. Thinking quickly, he turned into a random person and had her make her way to the checkout counter.

They, more like he, paid for her clothes with the mission money from the previous night and ventured off toward Ichiraku's to use their coupons for some eats. Kurumi's new clothes didn't really deter any would-be Don Juans so they tried to make their way to the small ramen stand as quickly as possible.

Naruto got a another viewing of his new friend's incredible strength when one wannabe Casanova Chunnin got too fresh and groped her. Naruto was about to unleash an avalanche of Kage Bunshin, but Kurumi proved that she could handle herself. She grabbed the guy by the collar of his vest and punched his ticket for a free flight to the other side of the village.

In order to avoid this happening again, they took to the rooftops. "Cool, Kurumi-chan! You can travel just like I can! This makes everything so much easier!" He exclaimed. He was getting tried of all these guy hitting on her when he was right there next to her. They always butted in or shoved him away and he was sick of it. Fortunately, she was of the same opinion, but she said a few rather embarrassing things.

The last thing she told everyone was that, "My master is the only one who touch me like that!!" She even pulled the much shorter blonde to her chest as she said it to emphasize her point, nearly causing the young shinobi to pass out from the blood rushing to his face.

Now, Kurumi might have seemed a bit flighty, but she could notice the cold stares and cruel utterances directed at her master. She was about to go postal on one guy, but Naruto held her back. "Kurumi-chan! Don't do it! I'm used to it!" But he had trouble due to her seemingly superhuman physical strength.

"B-But Naruto-kun...Why?"

"Look, I'll tell you later. For now, let's just use these coupons! I'd have to be crazy to turn down free ramen!" He finished, grinning at the prospect of a free meal, his favorite meal, no less. In the back of his mind, he felt a familiar voice talk to him.

_**"You are going to have to tell her about me sometime, kit."**_

_"What the hell was that?!"_

_**"I'll tell you tonight when you sleep."**_ The voice boomed as it gave him a mental shove back to reality.

_**ICHIRAKU RAMEN **_

They finally arrived at the aforementioned ramen stand right as the sun went down. It didn't look like anything special from the outside, but on the inside, this was one of the young jinchuriki's safest havens in the village. Teuchi Ichiraku and his daughter, Ayame, were very protective of the boy. He wasn't only their best customer, but they saw him as family. Teuchi maybe a civilian now, but in his day, he was known as the "War God of Konoha". Anyone who lived through the Thrid Shinobi War knew that messing with him in any way was like signing your own death warrant.

"Ah, Naruto-kun!" The old ramen chef called out upon noticing his favorite customer. "That time already, huh? What'll it be tonight.." The old paused upon noticing the beautiful company that he had with him. "Well, well...Who's this, my boy? Your new girlfriend?" He teased his psuedo nephew.

Both Kurumi and Naruto went pink in the face, but for different reasons. Naruto didn't want his new friend to be wierded out and run off. Kurumi blushed, but had a wide grin to accompany it.

Teuchi couldn't help but notice it. _'Dear god, are those hearts in her eyes? Hohoho...You've got a winner, Naruto!'_

Ayame chose this moment to come out of the back and greet her _'little brother'_. "Naru-kun! Right on time. The usual?" She asked before she noticed a pink-haired girl about her age that seemed to be with Naruto. "Well, you are you?" She asked honestly, her protectivness of Naruto kicking in.

"I'm Kurumi! Naruto-kun brought me here on a date!" She answered enthusiastically. She was careful to omit the _'master' _part. He asked her not to call him master, as it sounded too wierd for his tastes. _'Naruto-kun'_, however, he particularly liked. _'She's not Sakura-chan, but hey. She's pretty damn cute AND she likes me for some odd reason! I guess I'll wait until next week to see how Sakura-chan reacts.'_

Ayame studied the girl for a moment and then nodded. "Okay then! What'll ya have?" She asked in her normal, friendly tone. This indicated that she had Ayame's seal of approval to be around Naruto.

Kurumi looked at the menu, but ended up ordering what Naruto ordered. Ayame leaned in to whisper to her, "You've got some good taste." She complimented while gestureing to the be-whiskered blonde with her eyes.

The Angel blushed and nodded. "I think so, too."

They ate their ramen and decided to head for Naruto's apartment. After they were out of earshot, Teuchi turned to his daughter. "She seems like such a kind-hearted girl. I hope that she makes him happy. He deserves at least that much."

Ayame agreed with him. "You're right, dad. He 's been alone for so long...It's almost like she was sent from heaven, just for him."

**_NARUTO'S APARTMENT _**

Naruto felt kind of perverted at the moment. He was leading a pretty girl back to his aparment, where he had only one bed to offer, not to mention the fact that she refers to him as her master and seems to like physical contact with him. However, he suddenly remembered that he promised to tell her the reason why he was glared at and hated so much by the other villagers, and his heart fell to his sandals in dread. Countless things that could go wrong raced through his head unbidden before Kurumi's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

"Is this your apartment, master?" She asked him. She took in the small residence with an interested look. It was small, but comfortable, although everything looked like it was either second or even third hand. Nothing matched any sort of pattern, as if he simply gathered whatever he could find to fill in the emptiness. She also noted that of all the other apartments on this level were all empty, as if people went out of their way to avoid him.

"Here, have a seat." He told her, offering a somewhat lop-sided chair. She looked around and found that it was the best chair he had. She took it, wondering what her master had to say.

"Kurumi-chan, I promised an explaination, so...I'll tell you the truth...about me." He said with great reluctance. He mentally braced himself and launched into the explaination. "12 years ago, a demon called the Kyuubi no Kitsune attacked this village from out of nowhere. The ninja in the village fought it with everything they had, but it was no use, they couldn't stop it. The Hokage at the time, the Yondaime, came up with a way to stop it. He couldn't kill it, because demons are immortal. So he sealed it away. The demon was too powerful to seal away into an object, so he had to seal it into a baby, a baby that was born that night. When the sealing was done and successful, he fell down dead. The price for what he did was his own soul. His final wish was for the boy he used to lock away the demon to be seen as a hero, but..." He paused, taking a deep breath, and fighting to keep control.

"But the villagers and most of the ninja wanted the boy to be destroyed, ignoring their beloved leaders dying wish. The Sandaime, who came out of retirement and took over again, made a rule that nobody could speak about the demon, or tell their children, not even the boy himself. He did that so that the boy had a chance at a normal life, but the adults got their children to hate him too. He was thrown out of the orphanage when he was 5, forcing him to live in a small, lonely apartment all alone. Things were dangerous for him, even his birthday was too dangerous. Every year, the villagers hold a festival to celebrate the defeat of the demon, and sometimes they go a look for him. They weren't satisfied with the demon being locked away, so they took out their frustrations and anger on the boy, nearly killing him one year." He paused again for breath. Kurumi's eyes were already wet with tears. She had no idea that people could be so cruel and blind.

"He then joined the Konoha Ninja Academy, where he would learn and train to become a ninja, just like his hero the Yondaime. However, the teachers there did everything they could to make him fail and keep him ignorant, out of spite for the demon he held. They all made fun of him, made him feel stupid, and isolated him. His classmates never helped him or talked to him beyond calling him names and picking on him. He had a girl that he liked, but she treated him the same as everyone else, even hitting him sometimes..." He finally stopped. He couldn't continue with the story anymore. It was just too painful.

The pink-haired angel was horrified by how the boy was treated, but something clicked during the telling. Too many things were the same with her master, so she went out on a limb. "M-Master? That boy in the story...it was you...wasn't it?"

She didn't need answer, because his reaction told her everything she needed to know. His breath caught in his throat and his fists clenched so tightly, that she saw blood dripping from his hands. He turned away from her abruptly. "There...now you know." He said curtly, fully expecting her to run in terror and calling for his death just like everyone else. Not willing, or able, to handle any negative reactions, he quickly left the apartment, bound for an unknown location.

Kurumi stood in silence. She could only imagine the hatred and prejudice he was forced to endure all of these years, or how difficult it must have been to tell her that, especially at the risk of losing the one person who didn't know who liked him. Before she knew it, he was gone already. She ran to his front door, frantically calling his name. She continued for a few moments, but got no answers. Getting worried, she ventured back to Hokage Tower, to ask the old man she met earlier if he knew where her master could have gone.

**_HOKAGE TOWER _**

Sarutobi stretched out his aching back after completing his paperwork for the day. He looked around, listened for a moment, and as soon as he was sure that no one was coming, he pulled out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise and began to get his fix. As he was busy reading, he didn't notice that he had a visitor perched on his window ledge.

"Hey, old man!" Kurumi called out for her perch, nearly giving the elderly shinobi leader a coronary as he scrambled to hide his book. She looked over at him in confusion, but he turned his attention to her. "Oh, uh, Kurumi-chan! W-what can I do for you?" He asked her quickly, praying on everything holy that she didn't see the book.

"Um...Master kinda...told me something, but it made him upset and he left somewhere. do you know where he would go?" She asked him.

_'What could he have...Ohhh. He told her about the Kyuubi. That had to very difficult for him to admit, running the risk of losing yet another friend due to the Fox.'_ The old man surmised. "He must have told you about what is sealed within him, didn't he?"

Kurumi gasped, "How did you know?"

"I was there that night. He was to be seen as a hero, but hate and fear clouded the hearts and minds of the people of this village. He even never knew why he was hated until two nights ago. He looks so happy and confident on the outside, but anyone who truly knows him knows that the smile he bears is only a mask to hide the great pain and sadness he has within him. He wanted you to know the truth and as for why he ran away, he was afraid. Afraid that you would hate him, too. He couldn't bear to see a glare at him from you. It would break his already broken heart." Sarutobi told her sadly.

"Why...Why would anyone do this to him?! Can't they see that he isn't evil?! He's so nice and kind!! He's human, just like they are!" The Angel cried out, her heart aching for her master.

_'An Angel...truly a pure hearted angel. You, of all prople walking this earth, deserve someone like her.'_ "I know where he might be..." He told her, pointing off to Hokage Mountain. He had found Naruto there many times, as well as the swings in front of the academy, whenever something was troubling the young blonde.

Kurumi made for the window and darted off to find her wayward master, "Thanks a lot, old man!!" She called to him as she left.

He walked up to the window, staring after the pink haired girl. "I hope that you find him soon...for his sake." He whispered as he began to pack it in for the night. He had a bad feeling about this night.

**_KONOHA STREETS_**

Kurumi had looked everywhere for her small blonde keeper, but continued to come up empty. However, the more people she asked about him, the angrier she got. Finally, one man told her that she should stop looking for the _"Demon Filth"_ and just go along with him. Her response? You guessed it. A free trip over the village walls via a Kurumi special haymaker. "No one talks about my Naruto-kun like that. NO ONE." She growled out as she continued her search.

After about two hours of searching, she came across a crowd of prople gathered at the Academy. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she went to go investigate what was going on. She managed to push her way to the front of the crowd to see a horrifying sight : Her master was tied to a cross, while random prople came up and punched, kicked, and just beat him with random objects. She felt a twinge of rage, one that was supposed to be foreign to angels. She immeadiately marched over to the cross and ripped it out of the ground, freeing her master, nuch to the surprize of the shocked crowd.

"Master...are you okay?" She asked him, but she didn't get a response. He was unconscious with rather vicious looking gashes all over him that bled freely. "Master...No, please...answer me..." She choked out in a sob.

The crowd she had forgotten all about behind her was getting angrier and angrier due to being denied their pleasure. "Hey!! Let's get the demon's whore while we're at it!" One villager cried out, with serveral shouting their agreement. As they descended upon her and her helpless master, her rage built to it's peak. She had seen and heard enough. She began to fight back, viciously and savagely protecting the boy she loved with all of her heart. Even the shinobi in the mob were being beaten mercilessly. They were Chuunin level shinobi, getting the crap beat out of them by this unknown girl who had seemingly superhuman strength. One punch knocked a shinobi clean through a wall across the street.

All of the violence attracted the attention of the ANBU, who converged on the scene with blazing speed. However, by the time they got there, it was all over. She had already laid waste to the entire hostile crowd as she cradled his small, broken and bleeding body to her own protectively while sobbing out his name. The nearest ANBU, a kunoichi with purple hair and a cat mask, tried to approach her. "Miss, we need to get Naruto-kun to the hospital. Please, let me take him..." She called out to her, but Kurumi cut her off. "NO!! I've seen what you people did to my master!!! What kind of heartless monsters do this to someone innocent?! He hasn't done anything but live!!!" She wailed and sobbed.

"What happened here, Neko?" A wizened old voice sounded from behind the small team of ANBU. The voice belonged to the Sandaime Hokage.

"Hokage-sama, when we arrived here, it was already over. From what it looks like, a mob found and beat Naruto Uzumaki within an inch of his life. I believe that this young lady found and defended him, leading to all of this." She informed her leader, gesturing to all of the broken bodies and destroyed property around them. He regarded and filed away the report, and began to approach her.

"Kurumi-chan...It's me." He called to her in a grandfatherly voice. She saw him and began to relax. "Thats it...take it easy. Now we have to get him to the hospital and treat his wounds. I'll let you carry him there and you can stay with him, but we need to move now." He told her, to which she nodded reluctantly. He then turned to Neko. "Neko, show her the way and I want you and Tora to stay posted outside of his room until he is released." He commanded.

Neko and Tora nodded and turned to the pink haired girl. "You can follow us and we will show you to the hospital." She told Kurumi, but she backed away, looking to Sarutobi. He nodded and told her that she could trust them. She stood up and followed the two elite shinobi. The remaining team awaited their orders. "I want the rest of you to take the civilians to the jail and the ninja to Ibiki for interrogation. Take their vests and headbands from them, as well." He ordered them into action as he made his way to the hospital. _'I hope that this doesn't get out of control...'_ He prayed.

**_KONOHA HOSPITAL_**

Neko, Tora, and Kurumi all made it to the hospital in almost record time. The pink haired girl surprized the two ANBU, keeping up with the speedy pace they set quite easily and not even being out of breath. Tora charged up to the desk to check Naruto in. "We are here under the orders of the Hokage to check this boy in for immeadiate medical attention. They lucked out that night, for on duty was a woman with pale pink hair in a bob cut and soft green eyes who saw just WHO they were checking in. "Wha-what happened to Naruto-kun?!" She gasped, but her medic training took over. "Follow me, now!" She barked out to the two shinobi as she got on the PA system. _"This is Dr. Haruna Haruno. Prep the emergency room, now!!"_ The doctor yelled into the mic.

Two hours passed since Naruto was taken into surgery. The two ANBU silently gauged the young woman before them. _'I've never seen her before in my life, but the Sandaime seemed to know her and she seemed to trust him. She took out over 15 Chuunin level shinobi in under 5 minutes with nothing but her bare hands, as well as keeping up with our speed, something some Jounin would have trouble with. However, she was willing to protect Naruto to the death if she needed to, and she called him master...Who is she?' _Yuugao Uzuki, A.K.A Neko, wondered. She chanced a conversation with her. "You...seem to care for the young Uzumaki, right?"

Kurumi had her knees drawn up to her chest, hugging them tightly, but she heard and nodded her head. "I do...I love him. I know his secret...but I don't care." She told them honestly.

Yuugao sighed deeply. "We know about his secret, too. We often watch over and guard him, but tonight we were drawn away to another incident. My partner and I have seen much in our years of service, but we were ill prepared for the unjust hatred and alienation of one innocent little boy. I used to think that Konoha was above such things, but my faith has been shaken."

Her partner, Yamato, A.K.A. Tora, spoke up next. "We have to come to the hospital with him, just to make sure that no one tries to harm him. One would think that he would be safer here, but the sad truth is only a handful of doctors and nurses will help him." He spoke sadly.

Kurumi's eyes flew wide with worry, "Then...will he be alright?! You just said..."

Tora cut her off with a simple raise of his hand to placate her. "The doctor working on him now is one of the only doctors in the hospital that we trust. She has been tending to all of Naruto's injuries ever since he was a baby and is quite fond of him. I believe that she is one of the only people to attempt to adopt him and take him in. We would, but our duties in the ANBU would keep us from properly caring for him."

Kurumi sighed in relief that the doctor could be trusted. After a moment of silence, the doors to the O.R swung open and the same woman from the front desk came out, pulling down her face mask. Kurumi bum rushed the fatigued M.D, anxious to know how her master was doing. "How is he?! Will he be alright?!"

Dr. Haruno regarded the young woman for a moment. _'Pink hair? How odd, I thought my family were the only ones in the village who had it? She also seems to be quite concerned for Naruto-kun...I need to ask Hokage-sama about this._' "Yes...He'll be okay. He may not look it, but he's pretty sturdy. He'll be just fine in a couple of days..." She paused as she noticed that said patient was already trying to get out of his bed. "Provided he stays in bed and gets some rest for once." She finished, turning to face Naruto, who had a sheepish look on his face at being caught.

He gave his doctor a sheepish chuckle while rubbing the back of his head. "Ah...heh heh...sorry about that Haruna-chan! I get kinda antsy just lying there, and besides I feel fine now!" He told her cheerfully, but Mrs. Haruno knew him better than that. She had a niece herself and knew just what to do. "I don't think so, young man." She told him in a motherly tone as she pointed off to his hospital bed. "You'll be staying overnight for observation. I'll have breakfast brought to you in the morning by Yui-chan when she comes in. Now, off to bed, Naruto-kun." The doctor told him gently, with a smile to match.

Naruto's eyes lit up with excitement. "Yui-neechan?! Alright!" Yui Ayase had been a little girl of 8 when the Kyuubi attacked. She was orphaned by it and had to go to the orphanage. 8 years later, she met Naruto on her way to work at the hospital, where she was and is a nurse. It was the day of the Kyuubi Festival and the boy was badly injured and running for his life. She knew who he was, but something compelled her to help him. She hid him away and took him to be treated at the hospital, where she ran into Haruna Haruno. The pink haired woman immeadiately took the bleeding boy from her arms and began to treat his wounds. The two formed somewhat of a team, mainly due to the fact that no one else would help the poor boy. Over time, the boy just seemed to grow on her. Sometimes, he'd even bring her flowers that he'd pick in the forests surrounding the village, just to say thank you. To the young nurse, he was the sweetest little boy she'd ever known, if not a bit precocious and rambuncious.

Haruna was a different story. During her younger years, she had been a combat medic and had fought in the Leaf/Rock War. One a mission towards the final months of the conflict, her entire squad had been wiped out in an Iwa ambush. She was nearly killed as well, but the future Yondaime had come just in time and rescued her. After the war, she retired and began to work at the hospital as a doctor. The night of the Kyuubi attack, she was helping Kushina, the Yondaime's wife, through her delivery. The baby was a month pre-mature and she had massive blood loss that they were unable to stop. Moments after she held her baby, Kushina had passed away. The Yondaime, stricken with grief but still duty bound, gathered the child and went off to face the Kyuubi. Hours later, she was told of how the Yondaime sealed the demon away into a child and when she saw the child, she knew whose it was. Her sister and brother-in-law were both killed by the Kyuubi's rampage and she had already taken in their infant daughter, Sakura, but wanted to take in young Naruto, as well. She felt that she owed it to the Yondaime for saving her life, but the council denied her request by civilain council, with the backing of the Uchiha clan, saying that she was _"unfit"_ to adopt the boy. Undetered, she began to support him in one of the only ways that she could, by treating all of his wounds when he came to the hospital.

"Awww, alright. Since you asked so nicely."He replied cheekily with his infamous foxy grin, but he gave her a hug. "Goodnight, Haruna-Obasan (Auntie Haruna)." He finished as he slipped underneath the covers. He had called her Auntie Haruna ever since he could talk, not that she minded. She believed that he was a very sweet boy who has been bearing an awful burden so well. The boy always blushed when ever she smiled at him and that was one of the things that caused his crush on her niece, Sakura. He believed that Sakura would turn out just like her, and was willing to wait as long as it took.

Kurumi and the others waited until they heard the sounds of snoring to exit the room. No sooner than they did, Sarutobi showed up. "Hokage-sama." Was the greeting from the three adults and a "Heya, Old Man." From Kurumi. The elderly leader asked to be briefed on Naruto's condition and was pleased to hear that he was already well enough to try and sneak off. Kurumi asked if she could go and sit by his bedside and Sarutobi gave the go ahead. Haruna, however had some questions. "Hokage-sama? Who is she? I've never seen her before."

Her questios were added upon by the two ANBU beside her. "I believe I'd like to know that, too. She easily defeated at least 15 Chuunin in under 5 minutes and was able to keep up a pace that would have some Jounin panting, but she didn't even seem winded." Yuugao added.

Sarutobi exhaled deeply, looked around and motioned for them to follow him into an unused room. He flashed through a few handseal and touched all four walls, createing a sound barrier. "Now...what I am about to tell you must be kept a secret. That girl is a legacy handed down from Hokage to Hokage, dating all the way back to the Pre-Sage era..." He began to tell them the legend to the Steel Angels, and about how Kurumi came to be in Naruto's life, as well as why she was so affectionate and protective of him.

Silence reigned in the small room for a few moments until the ANBU spoke out. "Will she be inducted as a kunoichi? She would prove to be a valuable asset."

"I will present the option to them, but it is up to them to decide."

Haruna smiled. "She's like a guardian angel. He deserves at least that much from fate, as it seems to have trampled all over him from the first moment he drew breath. She seems so devoted and attached to him, it's kind of cute. She looks no older than 17 at the most, so its hard to believe that she's that old."

"Ah yes..." He chuckled as he told them as to how she was awakened. The two ANBU shared a chuckle at the description of the boy's reactions to his first kiss, while Haruna just burst out into full blown laughter. "I thought that he was saving that for my niece!" She roared with laughter. "But, since she can't seem to see past that Uchiha brat, it's her loss." She told them. It was no secret that she had a healthy dislike for the Uchiha clan. The fact that her only living relative and niece was an Uchiha Fangirl made it even worse. She felt sorry for Naruto, always being nice and kind to Sakura, but she always threw it all back in his face, carrying on and on about how great the Uchiha clan is and how she was going to marry Sasuke someday. She was so cruel and mean to him, and she still had no idea of the burden Naruto was forced to bear. As much as it pained her to admit about her deceased sister, Sakura was just as vain and single-minded as her mother, who chased after money and prestige.

Now, on the other hand, here was this nice girl who knew of Naruto's terrible secret, but it only made her love him even more. She was loyal and dedicated, beautiful and kind, not to mention she was a real powerhouse. Naruto deperately needed someone like her in his life and now, here she is. It almost seemed too good to be true, but is is. He now has his very own angel, one who will stand by his side till eternity come.

Sarutobi agreed with her estimate. "I believe that since she will be staying with Naruto, she is now a citizen of Konoha and is entitled to all the same rights and priviliges. I will also enter her into the registry as Kurumi Uzumaki." He announced as he dispelled the silencing jutsu.

The group made their way back in quietly to see one of the cutest things they had ever seen. Kurumi had crawled into the bed and held Naruto's body to her own in a gentle embrace. She even mumbled in her sleep, "Mmmnn...I love you master...You love too, right?" She murmured with a smile. Even Naruto had a small smile of contentment.

They all left them to their rest for the night, with Tora and Neko standing guard over them.

A/N: I know this is kinda heavy, but it is nesscessary to bring the two of them together. As for Sakura's family, it's such a blank page, that it's totally open for any author with imagination to work with it. Hope to have another chapter out soon.


	3. Troubles with Teams and Angels

_**Sorry that this took so long to update, but I was working on another fic that hit me. I hope that this gets a few more reviews that it did before, not just people who add this to their favorites. Please tell what you liked and didn't like about the story and I'll have more inspiration and guidance to write with. **_

Please, enjoy the fic.

_**TIMESKIP : 1 WEEK APRIL 21ST - NARUTO'S APARTMENT**_

His alarm clock just wouldn't shut up, so he dragged himself out of bed and prepared himself for his big day. Today, he would be put on a team and start his shinobi career. He looked back at the bedroom, spying Kurumi still peacefully sleeping on the mattress. He exhaled loudly as he recalled what happened over the past week.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_Naruto was sleeping peacefully in his hospital bed when he felt himself fall face first into ankle deep waters in a sewer. Before him was a massive gate with a seal tag locking it shut._

_**"So, kit...You told her about me, did you?"**__ A booming voice asked him._

_Naruto froze when he heard it. After he heard the voice, a towering pair of blood red slitted eye peered out at him from behind the bars of the gate. "W-who are you? W-wha..." He started to ask, but he paused as realization dawned on him. "So...you must be the Kyuubi that everybody thinks I am." He growled._

_The demon smirked at him. __**"Hmmm...Not totally stupid, are you Kit? Good. I promised you an explaination about your new friend, and I'll give you one..."**__The massive demon told him as it began to explain about the history of the world prior to the one he knew came about. He also told Naruto the truth about the Steel Angels and their real purpose. _

_This was alot for the young shinobi to take in. The demon was patient, though, and gave him time to process it all. "So...Kurumi-chan was supposed to be a weapon and she really is an angel given a body...What the hell is an angel?" He muttered out loud._

_**"Angels are known as holy and pure spirits, and are supposed to be the embodiments of love and light. She will be loyal to you and only you, and will love you unconditionally until the day you die. I knew that she would accept you, and urged you to tell her so that she would understand."**_

_Naruto looked at the demon incredulously. He couldn't believe that the big, bad Kyuubi was actually a pretty decent being. It just didn't add up. Why did he attack the village then?_

_**"I know what you are wondering, why did I attack all those years ago and then again 12 years ago? My kind and I were summoned here by an unknown clan over 400 years ago, so that they could claim the world as their own. A member of the same clan set me to attack Konoha, as well. I only remember his first name however. It was Madara, I believe."**_

_The young blonde wasn't entirely sure if the fox was to be believed, but something nagging at him told him that it could be trusted. He thanked the fox and exited his mindscape._

_He woke up the next morning with his face shoved into Kurumi's generous bosom. Apparently, after he had gone to bed, she crawled in with him and was snuggling him like a teddy bear. His first reaction was to pull away, but her monsterous strength held him fast. She woke up and looked at him with his face in her chest and he braced himself for the decimation of his face, but it never came._

_"Mmmn...Good morning, master." The girl next to him sighed softly. _

_Naruto was stunned beyond belief by her reaction, or lack there of. Instead of kicking his ass six ways from Sunday, Kurumi was squeezing him tightly into her...ample chest, giggling happily while doing so. He suddenly remembered about the previous night, but Kurumi beat him to it. _

_She told him that she found him and brought him to the hospital with the help of two people in funny looking masks. _

_'ANBU...If they were involved, something BAD must have happened.' He reasoned. _

_Yui Ayase had just finished talking with Haruna downstairs during their turn over about what happened to Naruto the previous night. She wasn't told that Kurumi was a Steel Angel, but someone important in his life and it was sanctioned by the Hokage himself. The young woman made her way up to his room to check in on him and found a shocking surprize waiting for her there. _

_Yui walked into the room just as Kurumi pulled him deeper into her embrace, squealing with glee. Yui's big sister sense kicked in just then. _

_"Well, well, Naru-chan...Getting popular with the ladies I see." The young nurse commented slyly with a matching smirk, enjoying the near atomic red blush on his face as she brought the food cart into the room. _

_"I've got your breakfast, kiddo." She added while pulling out a tray._

_After they were done eating, Naruto was checked out of the hospital and returned home. He proceeded to get to training so that he could fulfill his dream of being Hokage someday. The first order of business for his training was to make a Kage Bunshin and spar with it. Kurumi was unused to seeing ninja techniques, but took it rather well._

_When the smoke cleared, she couldn't tell which was the real Naruto, but she still grabbed one and gave him a smooch on his cheek. The surprized clone stood in slack-jawed until it exploded in a puff of smoke. A dazed Kurumi stared for a brief moment before bursting out into tears. _

_"Waaaaahhhhh!!! I blew up Master!!" She wailed until he calmed her down. _

_He was about to get back to training when he noticed something odd about his clone. 'Wait...She kissed the clone, but I knew how it felt...I need to ask the old man about this sometime.' He thought._

_A couple of days later, he finally got around to asking the Hokage about the Shadow Clones and the answer he got back broke all previous records of awesome that he had ever seen or heard. He was informed that the Shadow Clones would transfer anything it learned back to the caster, this included chakra control exercises. _

_Without wasting any time, he dashed out of the office, Henge'd into a random genin and went into the shinobi only section of the library to do some serious studying. After two days, he absorbed a lot of knowledge from there and learned of some interestong control exercises, such as Tree Climbing and Water Walking, and immeadiately set to work on them, with Kurumi watching on as his own personal cheerleader._

_Somebody cheering him on like that was still strange to him, considering the only things he knew up to this point were ridicule and jeering. 'This is gonna take some getting used to.' He mused._

_**FLASHBACK END**_

Naruto sighed as he started to get ready for his first day of being an actual ninja of Konoha, brushing his teeth, eating some breakfast and setting some out for his new houseguest, whenever she woke up, and let out a note for her to find, telling her where he was in case she got worried. After all that, he finally headed out the door and bounded over the rooftops, Academy bound.

_**KONOHA NINJA ACADEMY**_

Naruto walked through the door of his classroom and began to make his way to his desk, only to be stopped by Shikamaru Nara.

"What are you doing here? Only the ones who passed should be here, Naruto." The lazy boy grumbled from his desk where he had apparently been taking a nap.

Naruto was too preoccupied by recent events in his life to get angry. "I did a make-up test and passed it." He explained in an annoyed tone.

Thankfully, this explaination was good enough for Shikamaru as he shrugged and put his head back down on his desk. If it involved more effort than breathing, it was too troublesome for the lethargic Nara heir. With how easily he fell asleep, one would think he was narcoleptic.

Naruto just shook his head and carried on with his day, taking his seat next to Sasuke Uchiha, the rookie of the year. The last Uchiha regarded Naruto like something that one would scrape off of your sandal and had no qualms against saying so, either. The Uchiha had everything he ever wanted, but he as good as pissed all over it to brood and sulk by himself. He always whined about being all alone when he had people throwing themselves at him left and right. _'Stupid Teme...Unlike you, I had no choice but to be alone.'_The blonde Genin thought darkly as his attention was diverted from the brooding crybaby to the doorway of the room.

Almost rampaging through the door came two of Sasuke's biggest fangirls, Ino Yamanaka and his long time crush, Sakura Haruno. They stopped at the foot of the steps that intersected the classroom searching for someone. She finally looked in his direction. _'D-Does she like me after all?!'_ He thought hopefully.

As she approached him, he stood up and attempted to greet her. "H-hey, Sakura-chan..."

That was all he got to say before she yanked him aside to get to the object of HER affections, Sasuke Uchiha, and rather rudely at that. He was sent tumbling into a desk across from his own face first as she yelled at him for getting in the way.

_'I guess she doesn't even care about me at all. I could probably be killed in front of her and she'd see it as a good thing.'_He thought sourly as he scraped himself up and reclaimed his seat and laid his head in his arms like Shikamaru was.

Sakura and Ino looked like they were ready to stomp him until Iruka walked into the class.

"Alright! Everybody sit down and I'll read off the teams that you will be on for a while. He read through the teams and nothing he read lept out at the short blonde until he came to Team 7.

"Team 7 : Naruto Uzumaki..."

This got his attention. He would now find out just who was on his team, and he was praying it would be someone even remotely useful and not annoying. But his hopes for some semblance of peace were shattered when his next teammate was announced.

"...Sakura Haruno..."

Naruto let his head hit the table with a loud bang and a quietly muttered "...Dammit..." The whole class was at a loss for his weird behaivor. They thought he'd be bouncing off the walls now that he was teamed with his crush, but he was acting like he was being led to the gallows.

"...And Sasuke Uchiha."

Another loud bang was heard from Naruto, followed by several more. "Kami must really hate me...Damn you, old man..." He muttered through clenched teeth.

"The Emo Crusader and his personal cheerleader...What's next? A sensei who's hobby is fox hunting?"

The rest of the class had no idea what to make of his last statement, but Iruka cringed at it. _'I'm sorry, Naruto. I really hope that last part won't be true.'_The scarred chunnin thought as he went on down the list.

Naruto wasn't even listening now, just going numb from how he was now shackled with two people who would rather see him buried than even stand near them. The sensei was someone he had never heard of before, but he had a bad feeling about this, and his bad feelings were usually right.

Furthermore, he had Kurumi around, now. If she saw what Sakura did to him on a regular basis, the Uchiha fan club would be lighter one member as the pink-tressed angel would probably make her into a permanent fixture on the Hokage Monument. Sasuke would have to watch his mouth around her, but just that was asking for too much from the arrogant Uchiha.

Before Naruto knew it, everyone else in the classroom had disappeared and his new 'teammates, a term he would come to use very loosely, were the only ones left, still awaiting the arrival of their tardy sensei. Naruto's stomach was growling for ramen again and began to get irritable. "Geez, hasn't this guy ever heard of a watch?" He grumbled.

Back at his apartment, Kurumi was getting restless. Her master was now overdue by three hours and the events from a week ago were still fresh in her mind. Not wanting to take any chances, she immeadiately bolted for the Academy in search of her diminuitive master, making all possible haste.

Back with Naruto, the errant sensei had _finally _shown up and declared that they were all idiots, asking them to meet him on the roof of the school. Naruto just sighed, too tired to shout or respond, so he just walked towards the door, but noticed that the rest of his 'team' had yet to even stand.

"What are you waiting for? Let's go." He said to them, motioning for them to follow.

Kurumi had just gotten to the Academy and began to search the place from top to bottom. Seeing no sign of her master inside, she decided to head for the roof.

Naruto and the team all took a seat in front of their sensei and he introduced himself. "I'm Kakashi Hatake and I'll be your Jounin Sensei for a while to come. My likes aren't important, the same with my dislikes. My hobbies aren't for minors and my dreams, are a secret." He told them with an eye smile.

"Well, at least we know your name." Naruto grumbled.

"Okay. Moving along, pinky. You're up.

"Okay!" She nearly squealed. She went into her usual rant about Sasuke and declared that she hated Naruto. Kakashi just shared the blonde's exasperated sigh as he told Sasuke to introduce himself. All he got was a similar headache, with all of the brooding boy's single-minded obsessions with killing his brother. _'This teams off to a nasty start. A near lunatic and his ignorant cheerleader. Now, on to the blonde kid.'_ He thought sourly as he called for Naruto to introduce himself, hoping he wouldn't be as much of a headache.

"Okay, okay." He muttered as he raised his voice. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, training...and my new friend. I dislike stupid villagers, arrogant bastards, annoying fan-girls, and those who look down on everyone else like they think they're better than everybody. My dream, is to one day become strong enough to protect this village and prove that the trust that was placed in me wasn't misplaced." He told them in an unwaiveringly confident tone, devoid of any arrogance.

Kakashi knew just what he was talking about with the villagers and the trust issue. _'You've grown up pretty interesting, Naruto. I'm actually looking forward to this now.' _He thought as he seemed to lighten up.

"NARUTO-KUN!!!" A young female voice shouted from a corner of the rooftop. The team looked around and found a older teenage girl with pink hair the exact same shade as Sakura's bounding up to Naruto and enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug while giggling happily.

Sakura couldn't believe it for three reasons. 1 : She thought that she and her aunt were the only ones with hair that color in the village. 2 : Said person had just added "kun" to Naruto's name and practically glomped him. 3 : Sasuke was looking at her with an unusual amount of interest.

Kakashi was surprised to see that someone had slipped right past his senses and got this close. He knew that she didn't use the stairs and that the only other way up to the rooftop was from the ground, meaning that she could quite possibly be a kunoichi and a fairly skilled one at that. He also wanted to know what business she had with his new student if she was being that familiar with him. He wondered if this would turn out to be like one of his Icha Icha books come to life.

_'That wouldn't be so bad.'_ He thought with a blush that could almost be seen underneath his mask.

Sasuke's eyes nearly popped out of his skull when he laid eyes on the new arrival. This girl was undeniably beautiful and she seemed to radiate with power. But one thing bothered him. _'What's the dobe doing with someone like her?'_He wondered as he spoke out.

"Hey you. Who are you and what are you doing with the idiot when you could be with me?" He demanded, somewhat jealous of Naruto.

Naruto nearly went white when Sasuke displayed his typical Uchiha charm in full view of his insanely protective angelic friend. "I'm sorry, but what did call Naruto-kun?" She asked in a sweet voice.

Kakashi paled as well. When a woman used that voice, it meant pain and suffering on an unholy scale, and Sasuke just brought it down on himself somehow. Naruto had a similar reaction. "Kurumi-chan! He was just...joking! Yeah, joking!" He told her, trying to placate her.

It would have worked, if Sasuke knew how to keep his trap shut. "I said who are you and what are you doing with that loser?" He repeated in a deliberate slow tone.

Kurumi began to advance on him but Naruto was trying to hold her back for all the good it was doing. "Hey! Kurumi-chan! That teme's not worth it!" He called out to her, but she tuned him out. "Kakashi-sensei! A little help?! She's wicked strong!"

Kakashi nodded and tried to help, but found that the girl's strength was far beyond even his own. In fact, it only seemed to annoy her "Who is this girl?!" He asked his new student, being dragged along for the ride by this strange girl.

Before he could answer, said girl picked Sasuke up by the frnot of his shirt and lifted him like he weighed nothing at all. "Let's try this again. What did you say?" She repeated.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on the point of view, Sasuke was a slow learner. "What's up with you? He's just the dead last and a stupid orphan, nobody important. Besides, I'm way better than that blonde idiot." He told her arrogantly.

He didn't think that Kakashi would leave him to suffer the consequences and he believed that the village and the council would punish anyone who didn't respect him. It was only a matter of time before this girl would know it. In fact he was toying with the idea of getting her engaged to himself just to put her under his thumb.

His little delusions didn't work out for him, as the angelic girl punched his ticket for an aerial view of the village with a crash landing in the woman's side of the bathhouse. "STOP PICKING ON MY MASTER!!!" Kurumi roared as she relaxed from the hellish haymaker she nailed the Emo avenger with.

He quickly found out that last Uchiha or not, the women in the bath didn't take kindly to intrusions of any kind and beat him within an inch of his life. He trudged out of there a wreck, swearing to return the favor somehow as he dragged himself back to the Uchiha compound.

Back with Team 7, Kakashi whistled and commented on her punch. "Nice distance." He said non-chalantly with a hint of praise.

Sakura was in shock that their sensei just let that strange girl nearly launch her crush into orbit. She immeadiatly marched over to her blonde teammate, beating some answers out of him her goal. "Alright, Naruto-baka! Who is she?! Why'd she do that to Sasuke-kun and why didn't you stop her?!" She yelled at him while pulling on his shirt.

Kakashi saw this and slammed headlong into damage control mode, pulling her away from him. "Don't make her angry again!" He whispered, pointing to the girl who was now cuddling her former target.

"Besides, Sasuke had that one coming to him. He needs to learn to watch his mouth and attitude because his name won't protect him beyond the village's borders." He declared to Sakura's horror and shock.

"B-but sensei, he's an Uchiha and..." She began to blabber out an excuse, but a harsh gesture from Kakashi ended it.

"No more making up excuses for a petty crush. You're a kunoichi now, so act like it." He told her harshly.

He cleared his throat and got everyone's attention, telling them that he was going to give them a test the next day and not to eat or they'd get sick.

After poofing away to go inform Sasuke, Kurumi took her small master's hand into hers. "Come on, Naruto-kun! Let's go home!" She chirped cheerfully as they walked away, leaving Sakura to figure out just what the hell was going on.

**_NARUTO'S APARTMENT_**

Naruto and Kurumi made their way home amid the dimming sunlight and settled down for the night. They had just eaten over at Ichiraku's, where Ayame and Teuchi pressed them for details on what his team was like. When Teuchi learned that an Uchiha was on Naruto's team, he became uneasy. He knew Sasuke's father, Fugaku, on a professional level. He may have had the village fooled, but not him or the Yondaime. They knew him for who he really was, a thief and somewhat of an abusive husband. He could see that Sasuke was becoming a mirror image of what his father was, arrogant and power-hungry. Indeed, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

He broke off his thoughts and thought of how Naruto and his new, 'friend' were doing. He leaned in and whispered in a conspiratorial manner, "So kiddo, just how are nights around your place with her around?" He asked with a smirk on his face. Teuchi could only imagine the kinds of things he'd do in Naruto's position, pervy thoughts running rampant in his 40+ year old psyche.

Kurumi and Ayame were having little conversation of their own right next to them. "So Kurumi-chan, how is living with Naruto?" She asked innocently enough.

She knew enough to know that Kurumi was none too subtle when it came to smothering her master with affection and it led to some rather risque situations over the past few days. She had one time tried to drag Naruto into the women's side of the hotspring, but luckily Ayame had come along and managed to convince her that he needed to do this himself. She pink haired girl pouted for a moment but she relented.

"His place is kinda small, but it's our little love nest! We end up sharing the bed almost every night, but I don't mind a single bit!" She giggled furiously and causing Naruto to slap his face with his palm, completely embarrassed. They ate the rest of their ramen and headed for home.

Thoughts of what Kurumi mentioned caused the perverted side of Teuchi's mind to blow a mental fuse as he tried to imagine the kind of situations the boy possibly found himself in like Kurumi sautering into the bedroom wearing a pink see-through nighty as she slipped into the bed...

A loud thump attracted Ayame's attention over to her father, who keeled over. Her first reaction was concern, but then she saw the nose bleed and a pervy grin on his face. She walked back into the kitchen and came back out with a large pitcher of water. She tried smacking him a few times to bring him around, but to no avail. She just upended the ice cold water on her dad's face shocking him out of his hentai induced stupor.

"I hope that cooled you off, pervert." Ayame huffed at the man, crossing her arms.

Teuchi got on his knees, begging for forgiveness from his only daughter. "B-but Ayame, I couldn't help it!"

Ayame just huffed again as the begging continued on into the evening as passersby were treated to a rather hilarious specticle.

A/N : I know that its been a little while, but I was working on another project of mine. I also wanted to issue a Fanfic challange to anyone who wants to accept. Below is the criteria.

Midori no Hibi (Midori Days)xNaruto crossover.

Must be Midori Days concept used in the Naruto world.

NaruxHina allowed, but originality encouraged. Get creative!

Please contact me if you are interested.


	4. Harsh Truths and Tests

_Hey there, y'all. Sorry that this update took so long, but I had other things that kept me from it besides a wicked case of writers block. Also, I received a review for my last chapter, stating that this is all just filler material. Sorry bub, but this is crucial to the character development. That kind of stuff can't just happen 'off-screen'. It needs to happen in your face for you to truly understand. _

_In the Kurumi anime, she wasn't under as many threats as she will be in Naruto's world. All that she has see, heard and experienced has caused her to mature quite a bit from where she was before, but due to Naruto's core nature, she has retained her bubblyness when they are alone or when things are calm. I also added more background info that further links Naruto to the Haruno's and a sad correlation between parents. This background info WILL come into play later._

_**Enough babbling from me. Please, enjoy this story.**_

_**NARUTO'S APARTMENT **_

Naruto and Kurumi walked in the door and the blonde jinchuuriki plopped down wearily on his couch as he tried to close his eyes for a few moments to contemplate on his new team and how his sensei tore into Sakura about her behaivor. It was a pleasant surprize when he defended Naruto from her accusations and told her that Sasuke deserved what he got. He was kind of looking forward to learning from the man if he kept this going.

"Master! I'm gonna take a bath now, okay?" He heard Kurumi call out from the bathroom.

"Alright! Remember that the hot water is a little tricky!" He warned her.

Her voice prompted him to go over his team's reactions to his angelic friend. It was Sasuke's reaction that disturbed him the most. He knew that the village literally bent over backwards to his whims and that really bothered him. The teme was interested in Kurumi and wanted her for himself. Normally he'd chalk it up to his selfish and spoiled nature, but he was worried that the council would try to forcefully take her away from him and the havoc that it would cause. He knew she wouldn't fall for him, but the council would try to make him suffer to the point that he would give in and hand her over like property. He vowed then and there that he'd never allow that to happen.

Sakura's was somewhat understandable from what he knew of her. She was the type that was easily jealous and figured that any affection a girl showed toward him she would take as a plot to get close to Sasuke. For the supposed smartest kunoichi in their class, she was quite stupid when Sasuke was entered into the situation. He began to wonder what he saw in her in the first place, but his mind came back to Haruna. He thought that Sakura would turn out to be like her, but it was beginning to look hopeless. One thing was for certain, however. Should she continue to display her abusive behaivor toward him, Kurumi would probably put her in traction until she hit menopause.

Kakashi was a wild card, but coming to his defense really won the cycloptic sensei a few points in his book. Naruto couldn't help but feel that he'd met him before, but he just couldn't remember for the life of him. He really wanted to be able to trust the man, but he had to be cautious at all times. His past encounters taught him that much.

He froze for a moment. Since when did he think so clearly and throughly? He felt a mental tug and guessed that his tenent wanted to have a word with him. He sat up in the lotus meditation position and went to where the fox was.

_"Oi. You wanted to talk to me?"_ He called out into the cage.

_**"Ah. Yes I did. I sensed that you had some questions about how you now see things differently. The reason that I can see is that you are beginning to mature due to babysitting the Steel Angel all the time. I'm also glad to see that you're over that Sakura girl. Too bad she isn't more like her aunt. I'm shocked that they're actually related. Her niece's type isn't really the best mating material, you know."**_

Naruto was both surprized and not at the same time. Deep down, he knew why he thought more throughly and clearly, but he needed a second opinion. Secondly, did the Kyuubi just try to give him dating advice? Ever since Kurumi showed up, wierd and strange things have been occuring around him. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs.

_"Mating material? I guess I can see your point there. She'd soon kill me than anything else, but I still have to deal with her and that ass, Sasuke." _He mentioned in a worried tone.

The Kyuubi picked up on it immeadiately. _**"I assume that you are worried that the Uchiha brat will take Kurumi away from you and leave you lonely again?"**_

When his blonde container nodded to the affirmative, the giant Kitsune sighed. _**"I've told you before. Her kind are loyal to one person even beyond the grave. She has chosen you to be the person she loves for all eternity and no force on earth can change that, especially not some spoiled brat and a group of dottering old fools."**_

Naruto's blue eyes widened with hope. _"Seriously?"_

_**"Very. I can tell that she loves you not just out of obedience, but of her own free will. Go now, kit. I am tired and need to rest."**_ The Bijuu told him as it vanished into the cage.

Naruto felt a little better from talking with the walking carpet. He snapped out of his meditative trance when he felt something impact the floor before him and something fluffy land on his head. He opened his eyes to a real eye full. Kurumi had apparently finished with her bath and wanted to get a glass of milk before getting dressed. However, she forgot to dry off all the way, tracking water behind her. On her way back to the bathroom, she slipped on some of the water she left behind and caused the towel she had wrapped around herself to go flying and landing on him. The end result was a very nude Kurumi rubbing her butt infront of a profusely blushing Naruto.

She noticed that his face had turned a burning red and got closer to check on him. "Master? Are you alright? You feel really warm..." She mentioned as she pressed her forehead to his. The last thing Naruto saw before darkness claimed him was her bare ample bosom in his face. He could have sworn that the Kyuubi was laughing it up behind the seal, too.

_'Glad HE thinks this is so damn funny.'_

Kurumi began to freak out when his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he passed out with a bloody nose. "Master!! Are you alright?!" She cried as she got dressed in a hurry and hauled Naruto in to see Dr. Haruno again.

From his office, Sarutobi and Kakashi had witnessed the entire thing and nearly busted a seam laughing. Kakashi hadn't seen anything this funny since Obito was alive and pulling pranks and Sarutobi never got tired of watching whatever Naruto got into. He often stated that with the young blonde around, he never needed to watch movies or watch T.V, as his misadventures were entertainment enough for him.

_**KONOHA HOSPITAL**_

Kurumi arrived at the hospital very quickly. She had already checked in with Haruna and was currently in one of the treatment rooms.

"I just don't understand it. There's no trauma or any injuries at all, but he's got a wicked nose bleed and a concussion..." She mused.

"I don't know either, Doc. I mean, I slipped on some water and lost the towel I was covering up with and he started to get red in the face when he looked at me. He felt really hot to the touch, but when I plled him in closer, he fainted on me! That's so wierd!"

Haruna's eyes flew open as she figured out what happened to Naruto and she smirked widely. "Kurumi-chan, you were naked when he fainted, weren't you?"

"Yeah! Is that bad?"

The doctor began to howl with laughter at her 'nephew's' plight and run in with puberty. "Naruto-chan is going to be just fine. He just saw more than he expected and his innocent little mind just couldn't handle it. But you should really try to cover up more and that will prevent things like this from happening."

"But, he's my master! He's the only one who gets to see me like that!"

"I didn't mean forever, Kurumi-chan. Just until he gets a little older and is able to handle it. I know that you love him very much, but you need to give him space and time to adjust to you. He's been alone for so long that it's hard for him to be around others for long periods of time." She told the angel gently.

Kurumi took her advice at face value. Naruto saw this woman almost as a mother figure in his life. He looked to her for comfort and care for most, if not all of his young life. Kurumi didn't feel, but knew, she could trust the woman. "Thank you, Haruna-Obasan." She replied as she gathered Naruto into her arms and carried him back home.

Haruna let out a deep sigh as she closed up her office for the evening and began to walk home, thinking of all the times a younger Naruto would come in just to visit her or give her and Yui some flowers and the thoughtful young man he was becoming. _'My poor foolish niece...You've thrown away a diamond for a piece of shiny glass. Just like my sister...threw Minato-kun away for false glory.'_ The pink haired doctor thought to herself. The situation with Naruto and Sakura was far too similar to the one between her sister and Naruto's father.

Minato had chased after Harumi Haruno from his early Academy days up until he met Kushina Uzumaki. She believed that he was a loser that wouldn't amount to anything and she tended to go after rich guys. She landed the son of one of the council elders, Taro Utatane and was living the good life. After Minato became the Yondaime, Harumi suddenly became attracted to him and all but abandoned her husband. No one but a select few knew he was already married and was expecting a child, but she was determined to snag a Kage for a groom. Months before the Kyuubi attack, they had a baby girl, Sakura. But in the aftermath of the attack, the Utatane's refused to take her in, so Haruna stepped in and that's how Sakura retained her mother's maiden name.

It had all been a royal cluster fuck, but Haruna eventually cleaned up her sister's mess and soldiered on with her life. She didn't want Sakura to take after her mother, but was fighting a losing battle, as she was one of the Uchiha's most rabid fan girls, believing that Naruto is a loser that's not worth even looking at. It pained her, but she was going to let Sakura make the mistake and learn on her own. Kurumi coming into the picture was an added bonus that would show Sakura that Naruto was worth something and that she was too late, just like her mother.

_**HARUNO RESIDENCE**_

Haruna walked into the house that she shared with her niece and began to cook up some dinner. She noted that the dishes hand't been done yet, more than likely due to Sakura stalking the Uchiha brat back to the Uchiha district. No sooner than she finished and began to cook dinner, Sakura came in the front door. She knew it would be a wasted argument about the Uchiha, so she let it slide.

"Hello, dear." She greeted her only living relative.

"Hi, Aunite Haruna! Guess what?! We got put on teams today!" She announced happily.

"Really? Who are your teammates and sensei?" She asked.

"I got Sasuke-kun!! EEEEEEEE!!!!" The young pinkette squealed.

Haruna was fighting down her disgust as she spoke again. "That's nice dear, but what about the rest of your team?"

"Well, our sensei is some guy named Kakashi. He's kinda wierd and he's always late."

Haruna knew who she was talking about. _'He still hasn't gotten over Obito's death...He really needs to let go of the past.'_ She thought sadly. "I know of Kakashi. I knew his sensei, the Yondaime."

Sakura's eyes went wide. "He was a student of the Yondaime?! That wierdo?!" She shouted incredulously.

Haruna shot her an annoyed look, but it went unnoticed. "What about your third teammate?"

The woman was shocked and disappointed to see Sakura's expression turn into a furious one. "That stupid dobe Naruto is only gonna hold Sasuke-kun back! He should have been dropped from the Academy a long time ago! He..."

She would continued to rant on but a hand found its way to her cheek, leaving a stinging sensation. The girl looked up to her aunt's face to see a look of fury on it. She had never seen her aunt so angry before. "W-What was t-that for?" She wimpered.

"You have some nerve, young lady. That boy has been ostrisized by this entire village for reasons that I cannot tell you, but he deserves better than that from you!" She reprimanded angrily.

"W-what's so important about him? How do you know him?"

"That is not important right now. I suggest that you open your eyes, Sakura, and see things how they really are before something wonderful passes you by. " She told her niece cryptically.

Dinner was eaten in complete silence. She didn't even feel the urge to eat anything, just took a bath and went to sleep. Haruna felt bad that she struck her niece like that, but it had to be done. She was tired of people bad mouthing the boy she knew so well and cared for so much and the last person she wanted spouting such vile things was her own niece. _'Kami give me strength...'_ She prayed as she settled into bed herself.

_**THE NEXT MORNING - NARUTO'S APARTMENT**_

Naruto awoke in his own bed to find Kurumi wasn't there beside him like she usually was. This casued him to worry as he sat up and looked around. She wasn't anywhere in the room. Now starting to panic slightly, he scrambled to get his clothes on and went to search his small apartment only to find her in the kitchen, boiling some water and making some toast.

She heard a shuffling coming from behind her and she turned around. "Oh, master! Good morning!" She greeted him in a happy, perky tone, walking toward him with a small plate of toast.

"Here! I made it for you!" She told him as she thrust the plate into his hands. He sat down and began to eat, but remember what Kakashi told him the day before about not eating. _'Wait a minute...He didn't say not to eat, he only suggested it. Screw it! I'm hungry!'_ He reasoned as he bit into the toast.

"Thanks, Kurumi-chan." He told him softly. _'She really does care...'_

The pair ate breakfast slowly, due to Naruto having time to spare before meeting his team. He knew that Kurumi was going to follow him anyway, so he didn't even bother telling her to stay put. As soon as they were finished, they cleaned up and left the apartment, bound for Training Area #7.

_**TRAINING AREA #7**_

Sasuke and Sakura had just arrived at the training grounds hungry and miserable. It was early and they hadn't eaten any breakfast like what Kakashi suggested, so they were pretty sluggish.

A few moments later, Naruto lept into the clearing from the treeline with his pink-haired companion right behind him. Sasuke spotted her and leveled a glare at her for what happened the previous day. '_Today I'll go to the council and have them make her mine. That'll show that bitch who is the more superior one around here. No one humiliates me, no one!!!'_ He raged inwardly.

Sakura noticed that he was glaring at someone and followed his gaze to Naruto's friend from yesterday. _'Who is she? I've never seen her before, but she's stealing my Sasuke-kun's attention from me! That hussy! I bet she's just using the baka to get close to my Sasuke-kun! There's no way she'd be interested in a patheic loser like Naruto.'_ She thought jealously as she scowled at the pair who were talking a few yards away. She got up and decided to do something about what was bugging her.

She stormed up to the and interrupted their conversation quite rudely. "Hey you, I want to talk to you and get a few things straight." She demanded as she pulled Kurumi along with her, leaving an alarmed Naruto hoping that his friend kept her strength in check.

As soon as they were out of earshot of the others Sakura opened up with a verbal barrage. "Who the hell do you think you are? I know you're after Sasuke-kun and your just using that pathetic loser Naruto to do it, you shameless hussy!" She hissed.

Kurumi didn't know what the hell she was babbling about, but when she said that her feelings for her master were faked, she became angry. "I don't even know what you're talking about. That Sasuke guy is a jerk and I don't want anything to do with him and as for Naruto-kun, if you really knew anything about him you wouldn't say these things. I love him, simple as that, so don't you EVER say that I'm just using him. Also, he is not stupid. He's kind, caring, patient, thoughtful and many other wonderful things." She growled at the pinkette fan girl as she picked her up by the collar of her blouse.

"I'll give you one warning, leave Naruto-kun alone." Kurumi warned her, venom dripping from every word as she released Sakura and calmly walked back over to Naruto's side.

"What was that all about, Kurumi-chan?" He asked her.

"Just making sure she understood something, Naruto-kun." She told him softly.

Naruto knew there was something else to it, but decided to drop it. Meanwhile, Sakura sat where Kurumi put her down, staring off into the distance. She had never seen anyone stand up for Naruto before except for her Aunt, so this really blew her mind. The part of her that Haruna got through to was telling her to back off and leave Naruto and his friend alone, but the majority of her wanted to press harder. She couldn't accept the fact that people actually cared for Naruto and was determined to prove just that.

A moment later, their chronologically challenged sensei arrived, ignoring Sakura's shrieks and accusations for being late as he spotted Kurumi again. "Uh, miss? What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm just gonna watch Naru-kun so don't worry about me!" She chirped in a tone that sounded way too cheerful for this early in the morning. _'Wish I had her energy...'_ The cycloptic shinobi groused as he laid down the rules for the test.

He told them that in order to pass, they needed to steal a bell from his belt.

"But sensei, there's three of us." Sakura blurted out.

_'Way to state the obvious.'_ Naruto grumbled inwardly, not really feeling up to hearing his female teammates rantings and bitching.

"That you'll have to figure that out for yourselves. Now start!" He announced as he started the clock.

All three hid, or so he thought. Naruto was still standing there, sizing him up with a blank look on his face. "You know, the others hid from me." Kakashi commented aloud.

"Yeah. I know." Naruto replied in a disinterested tone.

"You're a little strange compared to the others." The copy-nin added to his earlier assessment.

"This coming from someone who's habitually late, makes up wierd excuses, and reads porn in public?" Naruto retorted in a matter of fact tone.

"Touche." Kakashi admitted. _'I'm really starting to like this kid.'_

"Well now that we have that out of the way, care to start or should I?" Naruto called out, trying to see how his sensei would react.

Kakashi replied by pulling out his book and beginning to read, puzzling Naruto.

"What are you doing?" He asked in an annoyed tone to see if Kakashi would react like he hoped he would.

"What else? Trying to see what happens next." Answered the one-eyed nin.

_'He's not taking me seriously...good. Time for phase one.'_ The small blonde smirked as he put his quickly thought up plan into action.

_**"TAJUU KAGE BUNSHIN!!!"**_ He roared as the clearing was suddenly flooded with Narutos. Kakashi nearly dropped his book in shock.

_'What the hell is this kid? No genin or even any shinobi I know of has chakra stores that high...'_ Kakashi thought, but before he could even move, the blonde and orange avalanche swooped in for the kill.

Naruto knew that his taijutsu would be woefully ineffective against a Jounin so he went for the quantity over quality approach. He also had more that just one target as well. If he pegged him right, and god did he hope so, if he nabbed his Icha Icha book and began to spoil it for him, it would throw him off and distract him from his true target, the bells.

For five full minutes, Kakashi kept up his wholesale slaughter of Naruto's Shadow Clones until the area was filled with so much smoke that he couldn't see. '_Perfect. Time for phase two.'_

Naruto had always been told by Sarutobi that a good ninja could make his strengths work for him to overcome a far superior opponent. In this case, his strength was pranking people and driving them crazy, which he fully intended to do to Kakashi. In the midst of the confusion caused by the smoke, the original Naruto quickly snagged the book and retreated with it, calling out to his clones to do the same.

Kakashi was puzzled as to why the boy would launch an attack of that scale just to back off suddenly. He looked around for Naruto and caught a glimpse of a clone vanishing into the treeline. Kakashi check to see if the bells were still there and to his relief they were still there. He shrugged and pulled out his book, or at least he tried to. It's kinda hard to read something that's not there, y'know? I suddenly hit him as to what Naruto's true target was.

_'Why would he take it, though?'_ He wondered as he began to search for the tricky blonde.

Sakura watched the whole thing with nothing but questions buzzing around in her head. _'What was the point of taking that smut book of his?'_ She wondered. This fight made he reconsider messing with the blonde. If he could do that to a Jounin, what could he do to her?

Sasuke was both enraged and dismissive about the scuffle. He was angry that Naruto knew such a powerful jutsu and he didn't, but scoffed at the fact that he backed off without getting a bell. _'What a loser. He chickened out without even getting a bell.'_

Meanwhile, Naruto and his clones split up, two to find and clue his teammates in on the plan he had and the rest to keep Kakashi's attention away from where he and they were. One clone found Sasuke buried up to his neck in the ground. The clone held back a laugh as he offered to dig him out. The moody boy only grunted, but the clone did it anyway. Once he was out, Sasuke was informed of the plan, but only got yelled at, told that_ 'There's no way that your stupid plan will work! I'll get the bell myself and be rid of you and that annoying banshee!'_. The clone was dispelled by a strong blow to its face, but still sent back what happened to the original.

At the same time, another clone found Sakura unconscious and under a genjutsu. He dispelled the genjutsu and revived her, only to get swung at. The clone was quick enough to avoid the clumsy punch and told her of the plan. Just like with Sasuke, she outright rejected the plan with a tirade of her own.

"Stop trying to be cool, baka! Me and Sasuke-kun need to pass this test so we can get rid of you! Quit getting in my way!!" She screamed as she threw another punch that connected and dispelled the clone.

Kakashi had watched the whole thing and was greatly diappointed in the two of them. _'For being the top Kunoichi and Rookie of the Year, they really are quite stupid. The dead last figured out the real meaning behind the test and tried to get them to work with him, but the arrogantly refused. Too bad I couldn't hear any details on the plan he had. I'd love to see what he had cooked up.'_

He waited for Kakashi to come back to the clearing and when he did, he let loose with a hailstorm of kunai and shuriken, but they all missed their target. "Your aim could use some work." The lanky Hatake commented nonchalantly.

Naruto gasped in over exagerated surprize before he went back to not caring. "Oh well, I guess I'll read the end of this book..." He said aloud, pulling out the Icha Icha book Kakashi was craving.

"And then Kaori pulled Daisuke over on to her, calling out his name like a prayer..." He began to read aloud, hoping Kakashi would rise to the bait.

"NOOOO!!!" The copy nin cried as he ran forward to keep the blond genin from spoiling the ending for him. The second he began to run at Naruto, the weapons that were scattered around him burst into smoke and into more Kage Bunshin, which rushed in and swiped the bells away from the panicing Jounin.

Naruto noticed that his plan was successful and halted his oration of the book's climax, flipping the book back to it's owner. "Meh. I've read better." He commented off handedly.

Kakashi then noticed that the bells were gone. "What? When did...?" He murmured as Naruto cleared his throat loudly. He diverted his attention back to the blonde troublemaker.

"Looking for these, sensei?" He asked, holding the bells aloft.

"How did you do that?" He asked with a narrowed eye.

"Simple. Remember the rain of steel that met you when you came back here?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Those were all Kage Bunshin under a henge! While you were trying to shut me up, they tranformed back into clones and snatched the bells!" He replied brightly with a matching grin that for some reason, made him smirk himself.

_'Ever the prankster...You've gotten pretty good at this, kiddo. Your mom would be so proud of you right now. I know I am.'_ Kakashi thought with a sad smile as he called the rest of the team.

The rest of Team 7 had finally assembled and filed before Kakashi. Sasuke was enraged that Naruto managed to get both bells while Sakura felt that she had gravely underestimated Naruto's abilities. They were even angrier when he just forked them over to them and stated the true meaning of the test, which got them passed by Kakashi.

_'How the hell did the Dobe get so good? Before, he couldn't even make a single clone and couldn't do anything right...'_ She concluded with a frown.

"What was that jutsu you used earlier, loser?" He asked in a tone that implied that he demanded an answer.

"Oh that? That was the Kage Bunshin!"

"Give it to me." He demanded.

"Trade me. If you teach me a fire jutsu, I'll consider it." Naruto replied in a business like tone.

"I don't make trades with losers like you. Give me that jutsu!" He snarled and was about to throw himself at the smiling blonde when someone caught his arm. To his horror, it was Kurumi, and she didn't look very happy.

"What did I tell you about leaving him alone?" The taller girl asked him with a growl.

"Che. A girl coming to the Dobe's recuse again. He is such a loser." Sasuke taunted her, thinking that she wouldn't belt him again and that his _'charm' _would stop her and make turn her into a fan girl. Ooooh, man! He just doesn't learn, does he? So much for being a genius.

Kurumi picked him up by the collar of his shirt and flung him back towards the village proper, right back into the hot springs again. Sakura just stood shellshocked that she had done that to her crush, AGAIN.

"HOW DARE YOU DO THAT TO SASUKE-KUN, YOU...YOU SKANKY WENCH?!" Sakura ranted until Kakashi intervened.

"Sakura, remember what I told you about acting like a kunoichi? You've diappointed me again." He told her calmly while diffusing her rage.

Sakura looked down as she was being scolded. A small part of her knew she was being extremely childish, but the majority, yet again, shunted off the blame onto everyone else in true fan girl fashion.

Kakashi let the team go and gave them their meeting times and days before he poofed away to deliver the results. Kurumi grabbed Naruto into a hug.

"You passed your test, I'm so proud of you!" She squealed happily while swinging the poor boy around like a bull dog with a chew toy.

Sakura watched the two with jealousy. She wished that Sasuke would even let her near him like Naruto did with her, accepting her completely. She was also upset that Naruto no longer called her Sakura-chan anymore, just Sakura or nothing at all. She would never admit it, but it really stung her pride that he no longer pined for her and this new girl came out of nowhere and took not only his attention but Sasuke's away from her.

She was about to give them a piece of her mind until the older girl grabbed the much shorter object of her affections and jumped off to god only knows where. "Great. Now I'll never find them." She grumbled as she made her way home.

_A/N: I hope that you liked this version of the bell test. Naruto, now that he is responsible for Kurumi, has matured greatly and due to some help from his tenant, his thinking has cleared greatly and is able to use his intelligence more effectively. He and the Kyuubi won't be getting too buddy buddy, but they have a mutual respect for each other and it shows in their interactions. _

_As always, please take the time to review if you add this to your alerts or favorites. I would like to hear your thoughts on this fic._


	5. Impressions and Missions

_Hey y'all! Fifth chapter of A Fox's Angel cocked, locked, and ready to rock! In this chapter, we deal with how the people around Naruto deal with the sudden arrival of his new...friend. We also get to learn more about the past of certain people, of how things came to be. Now instead of blabbing on like a dumbass, ON WITH THE FIC!!!!_

_**HYUUGA MANOR - HINATA'S ROOM**_

Hinata was very confused. She had been steadily trying to work up the nerve to even speak to the object of her affections, but something strange was going on in the village. She had been hearing from her teammates and from the rantings of one Sakura Haruno, that an unknown girl had taken up residence with Naruto, her beau-to-be. Well, hopefully, anyway.

Kiba's accounts, well, she knew enough about the testosterone fueled Inuzuka to know that ANY attractive female would catch his eye and he might blow things out of proportion. Sakura's rantings, the girl WAS Naruto's teammate and was closer to the situation than any of the others in the rumor mill. However, the pink haired kunoichi known to get overly agitated where Naruto was concerned and was quite easily angered by the smallest of things if it invovled that loathesome Sasuke Uchiha.

Yes, kind Hinata did have the capacity to hate just like any other human being and one of the people she loathed the most was Sasuke Uchiha. The so-called prodigy was nothing but a bully and a brute, always rubbing his many advantages in Naruto's face, like rubbing salt on old wounds. His legion of fangirls were no better than he, constantly sniping at Naruto to get in good with their crush.

"Wait...I'm getting off subject here..." Hinata muttered to herself as she re-centered her thoughts.

Now, back to the Naruto situation. Hinata wasn't too sure about what was going on, but she had seen a girl who matched the profile of the one everyone wsa gossiping about. Men drooled in her wake while their women were mad enough to skin this girl alive.

_'If she's staying with Naruto-kun...I need to find out more! One pinked haired obstacle was bad enough, but now THIS girl comes along...I don't really like where this is going...'_ She thought as she drowned herself in her thoughts.

Hiashi Hyuuga was watching his eldest daughter with worry. On the outside, he seemed cold and un-caring, but in reality, he deeply loved his daughters. They were the only thing he had left of his beloved Hiyori. He was also lead to think about who Hinata was beginning to take after with habits, his sister in law Hibana.

Hibana Hyuuga was crazy about Minato Namikaze even back when he was barely in the Academy, much like Hinata is for Naruto now. Minato wasn't the dead last, but he also didn't have any fangirls, that was Fugaku Uchiha's schtick. She held a crush on his best friend for many years, but unfortunately, she also had Hinata's problem with crippling shyness that kept her from telling Minato that she loved him. Years later, he happened to meet Kushina Uzumaki by chance and he fell in love with her. Over the next few years, Hibana came to terms with their relationship, with her and Kushina becoming friends. She was even invited to their wedding to be maid of honor, with Hiashi being best man and with Haruna Haruno as a bride's maid. Soon afterward, nature ran its course and Kushina was with child.

Hiashi chuckled at the memory. He and his wife of one year were at the event for his former classmate, teammate and best friend, along with his brother Hizashi. The night was filled with drinking, jokes and merriment. He remembered how Minato chased after Haruna's younger twin sister Harumi all through the Academy and for a few years afterwards. He remembered perking the blond back up after every rejection, until he met the red-headed spitfire named Kushina Uzumaki.

By that time, Harumi was already married to the eldest son of one of the Sandaime's teammates and council elder Koharu Utatane. As a wedding surprise, the Sandaime announced his retirement. This came as a shock to all present, but the even bigger shock came when he announced who would succeed him, none other than Minato himself. Harumi's reaction was priceless. She always thought that Minato would only be some no name loser and that was why she snubbed him. Now, he had the last laugh.

After the married couple danced as such for the first time, Harumi homed right in on him and attempted to charm him right in front of her own husband and his new wife. All of the guests were treated to a good laugh when he out right refused her and was told off by Hibana for trying to wreck a newly married couple. Hibana had come to terms with Minato being taken, it seemed.

She may have resented slightly Kushina for taking Minato away from her, but when the Kyuubi attacked and Naruto was orphaned, she knew whose son he was and she wanted to adopt him and raise him as her own, regardless of what he held within him. The Hyuuga Council of course, pitched a fit about it and forbade her from even coming into contact with the infant jinchuriki. A few years later, she was babysitting her young niece Hinata in a park one day and she introduced the girl to Naruto. Lo and behold, the young Hyuuga girl was instantly smitten with him, reminding her of when she and Minato were young. The Hyuuga council heard of this and was furious, going as far as to send her on a mission with no chance of survival and getting her killed. She was Hinata's favorite Aunt and her death deeply affected the young girl and her mother, who's health was already fragile and soon took a turn for the worst. Her death came on the heels of the death of his own brother, and they were the beginning of Hiashi's downward spiral in his treatment towards his daughters. The death of his wife Hiyori in giving birth to his youngest daughter Hanabi was the final straw.

Hiashi sighed deeply, holding his head in his hands. Perhaps he had let the Hyuuga Council have their way for far too long and it was high time that he popped tall and took charge, like he was supposed to. Also, he would have to make peace with his family somehow, although he was clueless as to how to go about it. After wall, he really had his work cut out for him, especially with his eldest daughter and nephew.

Then, there was the issue of one Naruto Uzumaki. He knew who the father was. How could he not, especially when he was the spitting image of his best friend in the Academy. He tried to adopt the boy, and when that failed, he set up an anonymous account from which his rent was paid, so that the Council couldn't do anything to stop it. He honestly felt guilty that he couldn't do more, but was glad that Hinata was showing such interest in him instead of the Uchiha brat. The Hyuuga head was now willing to let Hinata pursue her crush, hoping that she didn't end up spending her life in waiting like Hibana did, Kami rest her soul.

He shook himself from those thoughts as he proceeded into the dining hall to take supper for the evening with his family.

_**UCHIHA DISTRICT - SASUKE'S HOUSE**_

Sasuke had just trudged into his room and crashed onto his bed, not really wanting to move anymore. Today had proven to be even worse than the day before, again ending with the Dobe's pink-haired friend launching him halfway across the village and into the hot springs, AGAIN. At least this time, he didn't land on the female side and got the shit beat out of him. However, this time he would have gladly taken the beating instead of the horrors he saw just an hour ago.

_'Things weren't supposed to go like this...That wretched girl was supposed to melt into a sniviling fangirl when she laid eyes on me and forget all about that dobe!'_ He mentally snarled. Jealousy was an Uchiha trait, alright. It's kind of like when two kids are on a playground and one kid has the newer, better toy. That other kid will want it and will be jealous, or when someone is used to being the center of attention and suddenly the attention shifts. Yeah, that sort of thing.

When Sasuke's bird's-eye view of Konoha, courtesy of Kurumi, came to a screeching halt into the hot spring baths, he braced himself for the inevitable ass-kicking that would be coming his way, but it never came. He chanced opening up an eye, but wished he didn't. You see, all of the males of the Akimichi family were in the baths at the time and he saw them in all their fluffy, birthday suit glory. The clan head, Chouza, walked over to check on him, but his towel was a wee bit too small for him (MASSIVE understatement.), and the Uchiha prodigy got a full wedding tackle view that nearly had him blowing chunks on the spot.

He was SO glad that he didn't have the Sharingan, because he'd have a hard enough time trying to erase that horrible sight from his mind. He was only further enraged when he thought back on what happened earlier during their Genin test and how Naruto, the dead last, had outclassed him in every way and was responsible for getting them passed by Kakashi, taking the glory that he felt belonged to him. Naruto was supposed to be the class idiot and the weakest link in any chain, not even capable of fighting his way out of wet rice paper. Instead, Naruto took charge and actually kicked ass, impressing Kakashi and getting them passed while making him look like an idiot.

His thoughts were now dragged in the direction of the female that was always by Naruto's side, supporting him and encouraging him. It was obvious to see that the older girl was crazy about Naruto and totally devoted to him, loving him unconditionally and unreservedly. He sneered at such weak ideas as love and support. He was always taught by his father that such ideas were below Uchiha men, only power and prestige were important. He mainly wanted the girl for breeding material and the occational pleasure night, like a harem girl.

_'That bitch is always by his side. Always hanging off of him, praising him, helping him get stronger. Well, she's attractive and REALLY strong, she would bear some powerful children to rebuild the clan and remind that dobe of his place, at my feet. No body will possess something that I want for very long, I'll see to THAT, dobe.'_ He thought evilly as he settled down to sleep for the night.

_**SHINOBI BAR - SOYOKAZE**_

Kakashi had been sitting in a booth seat at a shinobi only bar as he listened to Kurenai talk about the test she had given to her team, which was to find her as she hid from them and try to take her down as a team, which they passed with some ease. She noticed that Hinata was a bit distracted the entire day and she didn't stutter as much, but was otherwise okay. Kiba was a raging cluster of hormones like most boys his age were. More than once she caught him checking her out and nearly put him through the ringer, Genjutsu-style. Shino Aburame was a cookie cutter replication of the rest of his clan and wouldn't be out of place at a funeral. He was probably the most silent person the crimson-eyed woman had ever met.

Asuma's was a bit more colorful, as he had who was probably the loudest kunoichi he has ever known, well, besides Anko. Shikamaru took the term lazy and almost redefined it, barely moving a muscle. But he was smart, damn smart. Every plan Asuma crafted to try and trick him, the lethargic genin would see through it. Chouji was a walking food compactor, like any good Akimichi. However, he made the mistake of calling him fat and nearly got his head taken off by a punch that leveled a tree behind him. Ino was a bit of a shrew, nagging her teammates to death. But she showed what many called 'The Dark Side', ranting on and on about her 'Sasuke-kun' and how everyone else was inferior to him and that she'd marry him someday. The chain-smoking, bearded Jounin cursed his luck at getting a fangirl on his team, a really bad one at that.

After Kurenai chuckled at her colleuge's misfortune, she counted her blessings that she didn't get one as well. She had the only kunoichi in the whole graduating class that wasn't an Uchiha fangirl, and by dammit was she thankful. As a serious kunoichi, fangirls were an insult to her and she wasn't shy about letting that fact be known. She noticed that Kakashi was oddly silent and asked about his team.

After seeing what they thought was a smirk, he began to tell them about his bell test. Naruto, the dead last, was a real shocker and had managed to completely bamboozle the wily Copy-nin into dropping his guard and taking the bells from him under his nose. Everyone's jaws dropped when he described the methods that the blond prankster used, their reactions ranging from chuckles to full blown laughter, especially Kurenai when she heard about how Naruto stole Kakashi's smut book and used it against him. When they looked at Kakashi, he had a proud look on his face when mentioning Naruto's exploits during the test.

However, his pride turned into a small scowl when he told them of how the Uchiha and the Haruno performed and that they behaved rather shamefully. Sasuke and Sakura refused to work with Naruto when he tried to tell them his plan, stating that they would be better off without him and that they didn't want him around. Next, when Naruto figured out the meaning of the test and handed his two teammates the bells, the Uchiha 'prodigy' became enraged and demanded that Naruto give him his jutsu. Naruto handled the situation admirably, offering a trade. Sasuke didn't go for it, stating that he 'didn't make deals with dobes' and tried to attack him while throwing a tantrum.

He then came to the real kicker, Naruto's new friend. He told them that she caught Sasuke's fist and punched his ticket for a free flight across the village. Kurenai remembered that a couple of days ago, she was at the hotsprings when Sasuke came crashing down into the Girl's side and they unleashed divine retribution on him.

"Heh, serves that pompous little brat right. I'd actually like to meet this girl." She commented.

"I thought you'd say that. She hangs around Naruto all the time and from what I've been told by the Hokage, she lives with him too. It's kind of adoreable the way she always fusses over him. It's different from the fangirls I've seen around Sasuke and myself when I was younger. It's the way she looks at him..." He murmured.

Kurenai sighed, but smiled. "It's love. It sounds like that girl truly loves Konoha's most unloved son. I'm glad for him, very much so. It can't be easy carrying a burden like his and doing it alone. He needed someone like her badly to balance him out and help him just by being there."

"You're right about that. My dad constantly blames himself for not being able to do more for him." Asuma agreed with her solemnly.

They spied the time from a clock above the bartender and decided to call it a night. With their tabs paid up, they went their seperate ways for the night. Kakashi walked through his door and got straight to bed, but not before wondering how things would go as a team from here on out. Naruto was no problem and Kurumi was no trouble as long as Naruto kept her under control, but Sasuke and Sakura would be major problems if their attitudes didn't improve. He knew from the way Sasuke was leering at the older girl that she was being scouted as possible breeding material.

That thought nagged at him. Sarutobi had briefed him on what she really was and that her loyalty was only to Naruto since he was the one to awaken her. An Angel's feelings for her master are very strong, as they are bonded on a spiritual level, at the heart and soul. Should Sasuke go to the council and demand that Kurumi be handed over as an Uchiha bride, she may run out of control and with her powers, she may prove even more destructive than the Kyuubi.

The Haruno girl was jealous, plain and simple. She resented the fact that the Angel had grabbed the attention of her crush with little to no effort. Petty jealousy was just that, petty, but it could grow into something truly ugly if it festered for too long and unchecked. Any further thought and worries left him as he entered sleep's embrace.

_**HARUNO HOUSEHOLD **_

Sakura was lying awake in bed, still trying to sort through all that happened during her first day on Team 7. For starters, her discussion with Kurumi was...enlightening, to say the least. She had thought that Kurumi was only using Naruto to get close to Sasuke and make him jealous, but that wasn't the case. Kurumi geniuinely loved Naruto and fiercely devoted to him. Her devotion was completely different than that of a fangirl like herself. It was like she knew the real Naruto, like the one that everyone else knew was a fake, a mask that he wore to hide who he truly was. The test was further proof that the Naruto that she knew in the Academy wasn't real.

The survival test that Kakashi put them through strange to say the least and the true meaning behind it was difficult for her to grasp. It had taken the supposed weakest member of the team to not only figure it out, but get them all passed by giving up the bells which he managed to steal from Kakashi, where her precious and all-powerful Sasuke failed. Then, to make matters worse, Sasuke tried to make another pass at Kurumi. Her crush was so obsessed with the older girl, but Sakura knew on a sub-conscious level that Kurumi would never betray Naruto and would remain by his side.

The girl was actually very jealous of Kurumi for various reasons. Kurumi held the heart of the one she loved in the palm of her hand, Naruto never told her to go away or that she was annoying, even if he got exasperated at times but he showed great patience in his dealings with her. He never lashed out at her when he was angry or upset, and he never brooded and sulked all the time and above all, he was just as loyal to her as she was to him.

Sadly, her fangirlish tendencies hindered her logic yet again. Sakura once again places all blame at the feet of Naruto, even though he did nothing to deserve it. One could say that it was a coping mechanism to deal with the constant and sometimes forceful rejections from Sasuke. Just blame it on Naruto, smack him around a little, have him fawn over her some more, and she'd feel better. She enjoyed the way Naruto fawned over her, her secret indulgance. His affections were what kept her going. She was nothing like Ino, who attracted male attention like moths to a flame. Naruto was the only one who desired her and now he was gone.

"That stupid baka, leaving me like that...and for who? Some hussy that he recently met. Damn that girl, he loved ME first!! She stole Naruto-baka's love from me!! THAT BITCH!!" Saukra snarled. To her, even though she was infatuated with Sasuke, she still felt that Naruto was her property, that his heart was at her personal chew toy.

Haruna listened in to her niece's enraged rant from down in the living room, where she was reading a book. With a sigh, she closed the book and continued to listen to the madness that was growing inside of the last remaining blood relative she had. Again, cruel irony came into play and startiling similarities between her niece and her sister became more and more apparent.

"You just don't get it, do you? You had a diamond, a rare gem in your hands. Yet you cast it away for some shiny glass. You will never again have his heart, it belongs to another now. One who will cherish it instead of just placing it on a shelf and forgetting about it while chasing after names and titles. Face it Sakura, you've lost before you even bothered to fight." The lady doctor murmured as she made her way up the stairs to her room.

As she laid herself down to sleep, her thoughts went back to when she was in her Academy days, when she, Minato and her sister were young with a scowl. _'Harumi-baka, you corrupted your daughter without even being here...Now she faces the same humiliation as you. I think that it's fitting irony, since I know that you would have persecuted Naruto just for being Kushina's son and not yours, not to mention that shallow personality that I knew so well would have led you to call for the boy's death out of spite. Your daughter certainly has your horrible judge of charachter, that much is clear. I do not really like to speak ill of the dead, but you, dear sister, deserved it.'_ Haruna thought as she looked at a picture of Harumi, her smug expression as she hung off of the arm of Taro Utatane during their lavish wedding.

She turned her attention to the picture of Minato and Kushina on their wedding day, which showed her younger self smiling along side Kushina, Hibana Hyuuga, and Tsunade of the Sannin, with a glowering Harumi in the background. She chuckled as she remembered Harumi's enraged reaction to Minato being chosen as the Yondaime and turning her down at every turn.

_'No wonder Minato-kun chose Kushina-chan over you, just like his son will choose another over your daughter. He found another that is far more worthy of his heart than she is. I know that boy is destined for greatness, just like his father, I can see it. I only hope I will be around when it happens.'_

_**TIMESKIP THREE MONTHS**_

Three months. Ninety days. Twelve weeks. This amount of time can seem like a long time, but for Naruto it passed him by in a flash. Dealing with a naive, but drop dead beautiful Steel Angel had a habit of eating away at your time. There were swindlers and wannabe Casanovas to deal with, along with the occational pervert trying to sneak in and take a momento in the form of a pair of her panties. It just never ended!

He had gotten used to waking up and seeing her inches away from himself and her pajama top open to the point of nearly exposing her breasts, but he still felt like he was turning into the world's biggest pervert. He liked her and thought that she was really attractive, but he still didn't want to be the type of person that would peep or some such thing for a few cheap thrills.

He told Kakashi about his wake up calls once and he hadn't quit asking about them ever since. He actually went as far as asking to sleep over and trying to set up a hidden camera. The scarecrow like sensei explained that it was like seeing one of his Icha Icha books come to life.

"Stupid ero-sensei..." Naruto grumbled.

It was a sunny day with low humidity and no clouds, the kind of day that only Shikamaru would complain about. Kurumi had been watching other shinobi spar and wanted to try it out. She was already equipped with a basic hand-to-hand skills program, but it never hurt to learn more, or so the old Hokage told her. On that bright morning, she had dragged her master out of bed for her experimental round of sparring. Unfortunately, her sparring partner wasn't as thrilled about as she was.

"Aw, come on, Kurumi-chan...It's early..." Naruto whined sleepily. He wasn't the best morning person in Konoha, but then again, neither was Kurumi. She was simply too excited to be sleepy.

"Aw, master...Pretty please?" The pink-tressed Angel begged of her diminuitive blond keeper. She had even used the dreaded puppy dog eyes, which made her normally cuteness even cuter. She had learned that whenever Naruto was being stubborn, one or two shots of her Crystal Blues would cause his resolve to crumble. She really had to thank that crazy snake lady for teaching her that someday.

Just as she predicted, Naruto caved in as she got Naruto dressed and out the door, bound for one of Konoha's many training grounds. Once there, she got into the same stance the man with the funny eye-brows that she watched was in. Naruto had slipped into the basic Academy stance.

After he discovered the secret of his clones, he used it liberally in learning how to fix what the Academy had done to his training, along with some coaching from Kakashi-sensei to point him in the right direction. The first on the agenda was Taijutsu. He had managed to fix the problems he was having and was actually able to give Sasuke a good fight without resorting to his Kage Bunshin. He knew that Sasuke had more skill than him due to the fact that people actually taught him correctly and had more experience, but Naruto had far more endureance, a much higher tolerance to pain, and more raw strength in his blows.

Speaking of Sasuke, he had some more trouble with the brooding brat in these past days. Whenever they sparred, Sasuke would fly off the handle while trying to show off in front of Kurumi, who was always there. Naturally, Sasuke would win, but he still seethed with anger when Kurumi went to Naruto's side instead of his. Finally, he followed through with going to the council and trying to force Kurumi into becoming his bride.

_The two elders had called Kurumi to the council chambers alone to speak with her. Naruto let her go, but warned her to be careful in there. She walked into the meeting hall to find the entire civilian council waiting for her._

_She still had no idea what they could want with her. "Umm, what's going on?" She asked innocently._

_Koharu stood up to answer that question. "My dear, you have been chosen out of many young women to be part of something very special."_

_"Oooh...Really?!" The Angel squealed. She loved surprises and this was shaping up to be one._

_"You have been chosen to be the bride of the last Uchiha and we would like to hold the ceremony right here!" Homura announced as Sasuke walked in through the doors with a triumphant smirk on his face._

_Kurumi's cheer died when she heard those words and saw him. Her face now held a look of fury. "What?! No way! Nothing doing!" She yelled as she crossed her arms defiantly._

_"You insolent wench...You WILL be the Uchiha's bride and bear many strong children for our village!" Cried one council member._

_Sasuke sauntered up to her and took her hand. "Let's just get this over with. Don't make a fuss, or Naruto will suffer." He sneered at her to quell any resistance._

_This made Kurumi's eyes go wide with alarm before she narrowed them. "You wouldn't..." She hissed._

_"Try me. I'll have his corpse paraded through the village if you don't comply." _

_"Just...don't hurt Master...I'll do what you want." She replied, her head hung in defeat. Tears shone from her eyes as she remembered how she and her master met. "Master...I'm so sorry. I love you." She whispered in sorrow._

_The council had already prepared to throw a shotgun wedding to bind the girl to Sasuke, having a priest on hand to conduct the ceremony. The ceremony had been going on for a few moments and the priest as about to have them consecrate the vows when the doors nearly blew off of their hinges to reveal one very pissed off Hokage, along with several ANBU and an enraged Jinchuuriki, around whom they could see a red haze._

_"What the hell were you thinking?! I never appoved of this! All of you leave this instant or face trial for trying to undermine my authority!" He bellowed in a commanding voice._

_"Sarutobi! Stop this foolishness! We only seek to make this village stronger!" Koharu argued._

_"You have no idea of what you're dealing with or of what you were about to unleash." The Hokage warned them, gesturing to Kurumi, who was surrounded by a dark red aura that matched Naruto._

_"She belongs with Naruto. She even resonates with him and would never leave his side unless you did something to her. Now, what did you do?"_

_Sasuke smirked and answered. "I wanted this wench to bear my children so we threatened to kill the dobe if she didn't cooperate with us and be mine."_

_He was cut short when a hand fell on his shoulder and clamped down with a vice-like grip. "__**You...You tried to take me away from my master...DIE." **__The Angel growled in a double-voice as she flung the Uchiha by his shoulder __**through**__ the opposite wall of the meeting room. The end result was one seriously broken Uchiha. He had _

_Naruto saw this and sprung into action, using his new strength to restrain her. "Kurumi-chan!! Don't do it! The teme's not worth the trouble you'll get into!" He pleaded with her._

_Slowly, the blood red haze around her faded and she reverted to her former self. "Naruto-kun? What...What did I do?" She asked, puzzled and equally scared. _

_"It's nothing, my dear. We merely stopped this council from doing something truly foolish." Sarutobi answered her._

_"Come on, Kurumi-chan. Let's go get some ramen and go home, okay?" Naruto asked of her, trying to erase the scene from his mind and put her at ease._

_She blinked, then smiled widely. "Okay, Naru-kun!" She chirped as she followed the Kyuubi container out of the council chambers and out to Ichiraku's._

_Sarutobi glared at his former teammates. "Take that spoiled Uchiha brat to the hospital. I'll be keeping a close eye on the two of you from now on. Anything else like this, and I'll have your heads." He snarled at them before he and his ANBU withdrew._

Naruto shuddered as he remembered that. He asked the Kyuubi why Kurumi had the same haze as him around her and told him that Kurumi drew her power from him and that included anytime he drew on it's demonic power. She had less resistance to the chakra's bloodlust and rage, so she would have become what was called a Dark Angel if she had progressed any further. A Dark Angel was little better than a berserker, barely able to distinguish friend from foe, but terribly powerful, nigh unstoppable. He never wanted Kurumi to go through that ever again.

Next, his mind wandered to how Sakura was dealing with having Kurumi around all the time. She constantly glared at them and became overly critical of everything they did together. Kurumi and Naruto were at a loss at to why she was so upset, but Kakashi saw through it in a hot minute. He could see that Sakura was jealous of her for stealing Naruto's affections from her. As much as she ranted and raved that she hated Naruto, she secretly enjoyed his attention and now that it was gone, she was bitter and spiteful for it. He had to at least get Sakura to be civil in order to bring team dynamics to the point where they could do missions outside of the village.

Naruto was knocked out of musings when his companion called out to him.

"Hey, master! Are you ready?"

Naruto chuckled at he eagerness. He truly loved that about her. It showed in everything she did. "Yeah, I'm ready! Got it all you've got, Rumi-chan!" He replied, using his pet name for her that he came up with on the fly.

He had never seen how fast she really was, but got a painful education as her fist smashed into his guard before he could blink and launched him back a few yards, tumbling to a halt. "Geez...I almost forgot about that super strength of hers..." He mumbled.

He picked himself up off of the ground and lept back into the fray, creating a small team of clones to help offset the vast difference in speed and power. The fighting style she used looked oddly familiar and he couldn't place it's name until she shouted out something peculiar.

"KONOHA SENPUU!!" She roared as she lept into the air an dispatched ALL of his clones in one shot.

"AAAAHHHH! That's the same style as that crazy eye-brows guy! He's nuts!! Aww man...This is gonna hurt!!" He groaned.

_He had an unfortunate run in with Konoha's premier Taijutsu expert and guru on all things youthful, Maito Gai. When he was in his final year of the Academy, he was wandering through the training grounds, scavaging any left over equipment that was of any use and in good condition when he happened upon a strange sight._

_He saw a full grown man in a tight green body suit, orange leg warmers and shiny black hair in an atrocious looking bowl cut hugging what appeared to be a smaller clone of himself, crying with a sunset and waves crashing in the background. The sight made him want to gouge his eyes out as he tried over and over to disrupt the 'Evil Genjutsu', as many in Konoha had come to call it. _

_After the daze wore off, he sat back and watched them as they trained. He was actually amazed at the speed and power the had, but was spotted by them. To his shock, they didn't chase him off or yell and curse and him, but instead invited him to join them. He figured that it couldn't hurt and accepted. What he didn't know about was Gai's insane training methods. The rest of his day was filled training with exorbant amounts of weight piled on him while trying to do vertical push ups and running around the village at full tilt. After the 'torture', he swore to never again get suckered into that, although Gai and his student, a boy from the previous year named Rock Lee, were quite nice about it and offered for him to come back anytime._

Naruto shook off the scary memory as he readied himself for a world of hurt that was about to make itself known until he heard a stomach growling. He looked up and saw Kurumi with both hands holding her stomach. "Master, I'm kinda hungry..." She told him.

Naruto sighed, but realised that he too was pretty famished, so they wrapped it up and headed to Ichiraku's for some breakfast before they headed out to meet the team. Kurumi had pretty much become a member of Team 7 as per the Hokage. She was at least on par with Kakashi in hand to hand and her sheer striking power put Tsunade to shame, guaranteeing horrifying damage if she unleashed her full strength. Sarutobi gave her a Konoha headband to signify that she was of Konoha, as well as removing her from the civilian council's grasp.

_**TEAM 7'S TRAINING GROUNDS**_

After eating their fill at Ichiraku's, the Master/Angel duo arrived at the training grounds with a little time to spare. Sasuke glared at them with intense hatred ever since the failed attempt at bending her to his will and now he had ANBU watching his every move. _'Just you wait, dobe. I'll get what I want.'_

Sakura was stewing with jealousy as she watched Naruto and Kurumi get along, as well as Sasuke's attention being on the other girl instead of herself. Without Naruto fawning over her like he used to and how she threw away her friendship with Ino over Sasuke, she was now very lonely and depressed. It wasn't bad enough to know that she had been very, VERY stupid, now she had to stare at the results day after day. Even her Aunt had warned her about how she was going about everything and now she was paying the price.

Naruto was aware of the glares and hatred that his two teammates were radiating, but paid little attention to it as they waited for the tardy sensei. After a few more moments, Kakahi showed up in his usual fashion. "Hey gang." He called out casually.

"YOU'RE LATE!!!!" Sakura screeched.

"Yeah, yeah..." Kakashi muttered as he got down to telling them what he had in store for them today. "Alright. Today, were going to get a mission at the tower and see where the day takes us after that." He informed them and herded them in the direction of the tower.

_**HOKAGE TOWER - MISSION HALL**_

Team 7 entered the mission hall escorted by Kakashi to receive their mission for the day. "Oh, Team 7. Come for another mission, have you?" The Sandaime chuckled. He always brightened up whenever Naruto and Kurumi came around. He saw the pair like his own grandchildren, and their antics never failed to amuse him.

"Well, uh, yes, Hokage-sama. Got any D-Ranks left?" He asked, much to his team's annoyance.

Naruto groaned, but had an alternative cooked up. He didn't want to sound like he was whining, so he went with the modest approach. "Hey, um, Kakashi-sensei? If you think we could, maybe something outside the village. We've been at this for three months and we might be ready for a C-Rank, maybe?" He inquired with a shrug.

Again, Naruto's maturity had surprized Kakashi. He remembered the boy as an incorrigable prankster and a cheeky brat, but this new Naruto was even more unpredictable and far smarter. He guessed that having Kurumi around to take care of boosted his sense of responsibilty and maturity.

Sakura was left speechless. Where had the Naruto that she knew from the Academy gone? Where was the dobe that just sat there and acted like a fool to gain her attention go to? Before she even bothered to notice, Naruto had gotten smarter and more mature.

Sasuke thoughts and opinions were mixed. Sure, he wanted a higher ranked mission and Naruto spoke their thoughts quite well he had to admit, but he was just as confused as Sakura was. Where did the brain dead loser go that he used to pick on constantly?

"Yeah! I'd love to see more of the world! So please, sensei?" Kurumi asked, using her puppy dog eyes on Kakashi. Due to his weakness for such things, he usually caved right in. After all, she was one half of his live action Icha Icha novel and just too damn cute.

Kakashi sighed in defeat. _'I really wish I could resist those eyes. I think I know who taught her that, too. Damn you, Anko. You really are a influence in more ways than one. Maybe I'll spike one of her dango with a laxitive or something when we get back. I'm sure Naruto has a nasty prank to suggest.'_ The cycloptic sensei mumbled inwardly.

"We'll take a C-Rank today, Hokage-sama. I'm sure that my team could handle a few bandits and thieves." Kakashi stated.

Sarutobi chuckled a bit before getting to business, calling out to the Chuunin at the door. "Okay, let Tazuna in."

The Chuunin nodded and left the office and came back with a ruddy looking old man in his mid to late 50's who was three sheets to the wind if the sake jug in his hand was any indication. "What? I gotta depend on a buncha brats to protect me?" He grumbled until he laid eyes on Kurumi.

"W-Wow!!! If she's on this mission, I'm not gonna mind one little bit!!" The old per...ahem, man exclaimed, looking the pink haired Angel up and down with a pervy grin.

Naruto was getting quite irritated that this old man was eyeing his friend like a piece of meat. "Excuse sir, but would you stop looking at Kurumi-chan like that?" He asked with just barely maintained calm, shaking from the effort.

"Eh? Why should I, runt? She can't be your girlfriend, so don't even try that approach." Tazuna replied.

Kurumi became indignant at his dismissal of her master. "Hey old man! I belong to Naruto-kun and no one else!" She yelled out as she glomped the unprepared Kyuubi vessel, mashing his face into her generous chest yet again. Naruto just sighed, but he was secretly coming to enjoy it. At least he stopped fainting when she did that.

All men present in the room were inexplicably jealous of the young boy suddenly. Sarutobi got down to business. "I can assure you that this team can handle a few bandits and highwaymen. If they can't, Kakashi here is one of the finest Jounin in the village. You will be in good hands, Tazuna-san." The old Hokage explained.

"Hmph. Fine, I'll take 'em. Meet me at the gates at noon, if you can even do that right." He told them harshly as he left the office.

Kakashi turned to his team to relay instructions. "Okay team. We meet at the gates at noon. Go and grab any supplies and weapons that you need. Dismissed."

Team 7 dispersed to go and prepare for their first C-Rank mission. Sarutobi sighed at the possible problems that could arise due to Kurumi being around. The first was that the client might try to get fresh with the Angelic girl and get to Wave Country much faster than expected via air travel. Another was that the Uchiha could try to do something to get the girl to himself.

The failed wedding still worried him, as the council was clearly prepared to go through with it. They even used Naruto's life as leverage to get her to comply. If she were to run out of control or if something bad happened to Naruto, it could spell disaster on an unholy scale for not only them, but for every living thing in her last time she was provoked, Kurumi almost became a berserker and nearly killed Sasuke by using his body to redecorate the council meeting hall.

_'Please...let nothing go wrong on this mission.'_ He prayed as he got back to his paperwork.

_**EN ROUTE TO WAVE COUNTRY **_

Team 7 plus client had met at the gate at the appointed time and had gotten going. Tazuna was still eye-balling Kurumi, not believing the bit of Kurumi being taken by the diminuitive blond boy. More than once, he made a pass at the pink-tressed Angel just for her to shoot him down and proclaim that she belonged to Naruto, making both Sasuke and Sakura scowl and glare at her. Most of the journey thus far progressed like this.

As she was fending off another lame pass, Naruto and Kakashi noticed something wierd about a puddle on the side of the road. It hadn't rained in weeks and the ground around the puddle was dry and parched with no trail leading to or away from it. The two of them noticed and nodded to each other, placing themselves between the group and the puddle.

Without fail, two strange nins wearing breathers, wielding gauntlets with a razor chain connecting the two lanced out of the puddle and made a beeline for Kakashi. Wrapping their chain around the seemingly unsuspecting Jounin, they tugged hard and cut him to ribbons in a shower of blood and gore, making all but Kurumi and Naruto paralyzed with fear.

"One down, four to go." One of them stated as they headed towards their next target, Tazuna. Kurumi reacted before anyone could blink by taking a kunai and with pin point accuracy, threw in into a link in the chain to pin it to a tree. However, she threw it with so much force that it snapped the chain in two, making the weapon unwieldy.

The two nins were shellshocked that this seemingly normal girl was so powerful. They were stunned long enough for Naruto to rush in with a small squad of Kage Bunshin and take them down, HARD. After the beatdown was finished, Naruto stripped them of their weapons and tied them up with ninja wire. Kurumi picked them up like they were feather light and lashed them to a tree.

Kakashi reappeared after the fight was over and surveyed what happened and evaluated his team's performance. He was most impressed with Naruto and Kurumi, who made quite an effective team, while Sakura was too sacred to move. Sasuke looked like he was about to jump in, but was beaten to the punch by Naruto. However, it looked as if he was stewing a bit over being out done by the former class dobe. He had seen enough of ther fight to know what those two enemy nin, known at the Demon Brothers from the Mist village, were after. He really needed to have a talk with Tazuna about this.

As they made camp for the night Kakashi decided that it was time to get some answers from their client as to what they were up against. "Tazuna, what is the meaning of this? We were paid from a C-Rank mission which doesn't cover enemy shinobi encounters. Those two back there were bad enough to be listed in the Bingo Book as C-Class criminals. We want some answers." He told the old man with a hint of finality.

"Look, in Wave Country, Gatou Inc. has a stranglehold on the economy and is using that edge to take control of the country, driving it into poverty. I'm building a bridge so that we won't have to depend on his ships for trade and commerce, but he doesn't like that. It'll cut into his profits, causing him to lose control. He feels that if he kills and makes an example of me, he'll be able to take full control of the country and do whatever he wants." He explained as he went into specifics.

Kakashi weighed in on the situation. On one hand, this mission just now became a low B-Rank at best, maybe an A-Rank at worst. This was no mission for green Genin to be on. On the other hand, they performed well against much more experienced opponents and they did accept the mission contract. If they didn't accept and word got around, Konoha's reputation would take a substantial blow, something they just couldnt afford. He would leave the final desicion up to his team.

Sasuke was all for continuing the mission, but as to his reasons, he didn't elaborate. He wanted to face more powerful opponents to not only unlock his Sharingan, but also to upstage Naruto and show off in front of Kurumi, showing her who was superior. Sakura just readily agreed with her crush to avoid offending him, but inside she was frightened. This was her first time venturing into the world and it was quickly living up to it's reputation for being dangerous. Naruto and Kurumi wanted to keep going due to the fact that they started this mission and they wanted see it through to the end.

"There you have it. They want to continue on with the mission. We'll camp here for the night, send out one of my summons to inform the Hokage of the situation, and leave in the morning." He told the group as they began to set up camp.

The night was proving to be exasperating as the old man was being a bit of a pain. He wouldn't let up on Kurumi and insisted that she sleep close to him to keep him safe, but she refused.

"No. I'll only sleep close to my master, so back off!" She told him forcefully.

Sakura was getting tired of Kurumi always getting all the attention from the boys and men, because she was older, prettier and much more developed. "For Kami's sake just sleep with him and please the client! Naruto-baka, tell her to to it!" She yelled.

"_**No. I don't think so. Don't think that you can boss her or myself around, Sakura. The Naruto that would have folded is gone and left me in his place. Kurumi is my only friend and I'll be damned if I lose her because some pompous bastard wants to get his rocks off or some irritating Fan Girl demands it."**_ Naruto snarled in a calm yet frightening double voice and a noticable red haze was radiating around him, turning his once crystal blue eyes into a bloody crimson. Sakura couldn't believe her eyes or senses. Every fiber of her being screamed of extreme danger, same as Sasuke. He just couldn't fathom this powerful and oppressive force that the blond was exerting, but soon grew even more jealous. It was yet another thing that Naruto had that he didn't.

Kakashi nearly lept out of his skin when he felt the demonic chakra seep from his blond student and sought to diffuse the situation. "Tazuna-san, there is something about Kurumi-san that you should know. She will not be seperated from Naruto and he from her, as it would cause the two to go berserk. You can say that on a certain level they are each others mates." He explained as best he could without revealing anything classified. Kurumi's true identity was a village secret and for a good reason.

The ruddy old man relented and beckon'd the boy in close. "You're a lucky brat, having someone as beautiful as her by your side. Take care of her, kid." He told him.

"As if I needed to be told that. She's very special to me and was one of my first and only friends. I'd do anything to protect her, as I know she would do for me." He told Tazuna tersely as he let his Kyuubi chakra subside and headed into the tent that he and Kurumi would share.

Kakashi sighed in relief as the situation died down. However, he was highly worried about Naruto being able to tap into the Kyuubi's power like he did. It seemed like it was a reflex and he looked like he was about to rip Tazuna to shreds had he not interjected.

_'This is what Hokage-sama was talking about. The bond between an Angel and her master is very strong and that proves doubly true in Naruto's case. For someone who was so isolated, alone and abused like he was, he would fight tooth and nail to keep one of his only friends one who understood him and what it meant to be a Jinchuuriki, from leaving him. I can't say that I blame him. If I were in his shoes, I might do the same thing.'_ He surmised sadly. The way Naruto's life turned out up to when he found Kurumi hadn't exactly gone as the Yondaime's dying wish requested. The Angel's appearance in his students life must have been a miracle to him.

Later that night as everyone else slept, Kurumi stayed awake a little longer, looking at her master's sleeping form. _'Master...I won't let anything keep us apart. I love you, Master, and I always will. My heart belongs to you and you alone.'_ She vowed as she settled down to sleep for the night.

The next morning came quickly, as the team was up at the crack of dawn to pack everything in and quickly got back on the road. Naruto was silent the entire time with Kurumi following suit, both on edge due to the events from the previous day. Sakura was still thinking about what happened when they set up camp last night and it still scared her to think about how much she didn't know about Naruto. The dobe from the Academy is gone and left this enigma in his place. Even more vexing than that, it seemed that regaining his affections was going to be even harder than she realized. _'Why do I even care so much?! He's only the Dobe! Why should I care that some hussy moved in on him?! It's Sasuke-kun that I want, right?' _She asked herself, but she had her lingering doubts.

Sasuke was contemplating the events from last night. Naruto's aura had gone from peaceable to terrifying in an eyeblink when his pink-haired companion was jepordized. His curiousity was quelled in favor of his jealousy over how she clung to the blond and again proclaimed that she belonged to him and him alone. The aftermath of the failed wedding was still fresh in his mind, along with his month long hospital stay. He knew deep down that if Naruto hadn't calmed her down, the girl would have killed him without remorse or pity. After that, most of the council was less than willing to have a repeat of those events so they declined his requests for the time being. _'Damn! The council is useless and that old fossil Hokage threatened to take away my clan status if I tried that again! Maybe if something happens to the dobe during this mission, he'll reconsider.'_ He though darkly, hoping for Naruto to die during this mission.

The team plus client kept on walking down their current road until they reached a small pier where there was a small boat waiting for them. A scowling middle aged man greeted them. "So, these are the ones you hired?" He asked Tazuna, to which he nodded.

"I hope they're worth the risk we're runnin'..."He trailed off as he herded everyone into the boat and scuttled out into deeper waters. The first leg of the journey was made under human power, with the ferryman using an oar. Once he was sure that it was safe to do so, he revved up the outboard motor that he had hidden and brought them ashore in Wave Country proper.

"Be careful from here on out. Gatou's men patrol these parts and they show no mercy to anyone. Men and boys have been cut down and women and girls have been abducted and Kami only knows whatelse." The ferryman warned them as he shoved off once again.

They continued down a road with a steadily increasing mist that was getting unsettling. Soon, they couldn't see very far down the path they were traveling. Suddenly, something skirted on the edge of Naruto's senses and he reacted by chucking a kunai at it. He heard a soft thunk and ran to investigate, finding a dead rabbit with his kunai buried in his skull.

"You stupid baka! Why did you have to scare us like that?!" Sakura ranted.

Kakashi took a closer look at the rabbit. _'It's fur is white, but it's mid-summer. This rabbit was kept to use as a substitution. Naruto was on to something.'_ He surmised as he felt something nearby.

"GET DOWN!!!" He bellowed as he grabbed the client and his Genin, pushing them down to the deck. Kurumi was still standing, however, making Naruto's eyes go wide.

CLANG!!!!!

All members looked up to see Kurumi calmly standing her ground, hold aloft a massive blade that she caught in mid-flight. The blade was huge, looking more like a gigantic butcher's knife than anything else and looked very heavy, but she held it like it was just a toy.

Out of the mist, a voice called out to them. "That was very impressive, ojou-chan. You caught my Kubikiri in mid-throw like a child's toy, but if you don't mind I'd like it back." The voice asked.

Kurumi merely threw the blade back so hard, that it almost broke the sound barrier. The massive cleaver turned projectile screamed along its trajectory into it buried itself in a large boulder up to the hilt. The displaced air caused by its flight also cleared away the mist to reveal a tall man with a Mist headband and no eyebrows frantically trying to pull his trapped blade out of the boulder, but failing miserably.

He stopped to notice that the team that he attacked was staring at him strangely. He then spotted the girl who threw the blade. "You're quite the looker, ojou-chan. I dare say one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen next to Mei-chan." He told her smoothly as he tried to get close.

She was still puzzled as to what the hell he was doing until he groped her ass. "Mmmm...Real nice."

Her face dropped to the point that her bangs covered her eyes and she began to tremble. Zabuza took this as a sign of fear. "Don't worry, I'll try to be gentle."

Unfortunately, that shaking wasn't fear. It was unadulterated rage. She calmly reached for his roaming hand and grasped it in a vice like grip. Zabuza tried to pull his hand away, but she only increased her pressure, starting to break his hand. "Owowowowowowowowowowowowowow!!!!!!" He started to whine and howl as she added some torque, bending him like a pretzel.

"Nobody...touches me like that...except for my MASTER!!!!!" She bellowed as she wound up and sent him sailing over the forest canopy, off to an unknown destination. A masked nin in a tree was watching the whole battle in awe and terror.

_'Just who or what IS the girl?! Her strength can't be human with how she handled Zabuza-sama's sword like a toy and then sent him flying away like that. Oh well, serves him right for being a pervert. Now, I just have to find where he landed...'_ She grumbled inwardly as she bounded off into the forest to find her sensei's landing spot.

Back with the team, Kurumi was huffing in dirision at being groped, AGAIN. It never failed with her, somebody always thought that she would be an easy target, that she wouldn't say anything and htat she might actually enjoy it. Those rude people were always in for a nasty awakening when she would use various methods of sending them flying away over the horizon.

Kakashi stood stunned at what the Angel had accomplished. She defeated an A-Rank criminal known as Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Mist and one of the legendary Seven Shinobi Swordsman, like she was clocking a common pervert on the streets. He looked over to where the sword was still stuck. _'I am NEVER pissing her off. I'd hate to see what she could do to me if she got just one clean hit._' Kakashi thought as he shuddered involuntarily.

"Nice one, Kurumi-chan!" Naruto chirped as he praised her. She just soaked up his praise like a puppy would, reverting back to the bubbly, happy girl she seemed to be at her core.

"Now I've seen...true horror..." Tazuna monotoned, with Kakashi nodding in agreement.

_A/N: Done and done. I hope this doesn't disappoint those who actually like this story. I wanted to show more history and correlations between the past and the present and to give more creedence to the addage "Like father like son" and "Like mother like daughter". The behaivor that Sakura is exhibiting is classic jealousy followed by extreme possessivness. She was used to having his attention to bolster her ego and self-esteem. Now that his affections and attention belong to Kurumi, she's sinking into depression, self-pity, and further obssessive tendencies. If she maintains this cycle of behaivor, it will turn self-destructive very soon if it hasn't started already. People with this type of condition don't tend to last very long and in her carrer choice, her life expectancy drops dramatically. However, with the right help and threapy, she is salvagable._

_Sasuke has similar problems, but they stem from always getting his way and now the free ride has ground to a halt, and since this has been going on from a young age, it is ground into his personality to the point where mental conditioning and therapy is a moot gesture. He sees something that he wants in Kurumi and tries to take it by force, but he is constantly denied by the girl in question. She displays a loyalty and devotion to Naruto that he cannot comprehend due to people always kissing up to him due to his social status and his upbringing from his father. He is for all intents and purposes emotional stunted and retarded, unable to show love or affection. But not all of the blame goes to his family and the village, Sasuke has his own share of the blame for not getting the counciling he needed and maintaining his arrogant nature. He made a conscious choice to shun positive emotions in favor of gaining power, willing to commit unspeakable crimes and acts to get what they want. People like this have very little to no chance of being redeemed, sadly. _

Enough of my psycho-babble. Please leave a review to tell me what you liked. Leaving a review for a writer is like leaving a tip to a waiter in a restaurant. We want them, crave them, need them. Ciao!


	6. Past Lives and Realizations

_ Hey y'all! I know that it's been a while since I updated, but I've been a little busy as of late. _

_** To recap, our hero, our heroine, and Team 7 have set off for Wave Country with Tazuna in tow. This mission got off to a rough start, with Tazuna making passes at our blond hero's lovely companion, two Kiri Nuke-nin attacking them to get to Tazuna and the old man revealing that he tricked them into accepting the mission due to the fact that they were poor, Tazuna further pursuing Kurumi to the point of nearly having a Kyuubi-Naruto to deal with, and now they have Zabuza Momochi, the infamous Demon of the Bloody Mist, A-Rank Nuke-nin and one of the Seven Shinobi Sowrdmen, to deal with. Luckily or unluckily, depending on who's viewpoint to look at it from, he decided to mess with Kurumi thinking that she would be an easy target and a quick lay. DEAD WRONG. Our pink-haired angel nearly sends him into low-orbit!**_

_**WAVE FOREST **_

Zabuza gave a pained grunt as he extracted himself from the crater that he made when he hit the ground after the pink haired girl clobbered him. He sat there for a few moments, try to shake the cobwebs from his head as he went over what just happened to him. "Oww...What the hell IS that girl? Not even Mei-chan hits that hard..." He grumbled to himself as he tried to stand up.

His partner landed in near the impact site with an amused grin under her mask. "Wow, that girl can really handle herself, can't she?" She chuckled in amusement.

"That's not funny, Haku. Damn, that girl hits hard and she got my Kubikiri stuck in that rock. I still can't believe she plucked it out of the air like a toy and heaved it back at me like that. Is she some sort of freak of nature or something?" The browless missing nin whined as Haku saw to the injuries that he sustained upon his hasty reintroduction to the ground.

"Maybe you shouldn't have been such a pervert. I'm surprized she didn't chase you down to finish the job after you groped her like that." The long haired girl admonished.

Zabuza sulked slightly from her rebuke. "Yes, mother." He muttered sarcastically.

"Well, as long as you learned your lesson. Now, what should we do about the bridge builder now that he has those shinobi guarding him, including that girl that nearly knocked you into the next country?" She asked him, unable to resist the urge to tease him a bit more about his recent knuckle sandwich.

Zabuza sat cross legged as he thought of what to do now. Their job was to eliminate Tazuna, and these guys he hired were proving to be a serious problem. He knew that he recognized the Jounin in the lead as Kakashi Hatake, an A+-Ranked shinobi known as Sharingan Kakashi and an ex-ANBU Captain himself. Just him alone would be a dangerous opponent, but that girl was a new one on him. She wasn't in the Bingo Book, but she had on a Konoha Headband. She may have been an ANBU operative, leading to her not being in the Bingo Book due to how secretive they were. He also had those three brats with him. Even though they were Genin, they could still take on Gatou's thugs by themselves. If he had to guess, the blond would be the bigger threat of the three. When he groped the girl, he felt a blast of Ki the actually made the hairs on his neck stand on end, and it came from the short blond with the whiskers.

_'Wait, whiskers? What the hell is up with that? It almost sounds like...No way...That brat can't be a jinchuuriki. Although, he's the right age for the stories I've heard about the Kyuubi and how it was defeated. If he is, this mission just got even harder.'_ He thought as he and Haku continued to come up with a plan of attack.

"Ano, Zabuza-sama. How are we going to get your sword out of that boulder?" Haku asked him.

Zabuza paled at the thought. That sword wouldn't budge an inch when he tried to removed it. He got up in a hurry and dashed back to where the blade as stuck, hoping that he would be successful.

_**BACK WITH TEAM 7**_

Kurumi had walked up to the boulder where that wierd pervert's sword was stuck and easily removed it, by shattering said boulder with a monsterous punch. As the rock fell apart and released the blade, Kurumi picked it up and dragged it over to her master.

"Here you go, Naruto-kun! It's a present for you!" She told him cheerfully as she handed him the huge blade. He took hold of it and staggered under it's massive weight as he was lifting it and trying to fasten it to his back.

"Thanks, Kurumi-chan." He groaned under the oppressive weight as they trudged on towards Tazuna's house, that lay on the outskirts of the village.

"Umm, You know, I could seal that up for you, Naruto." Kakashi mentioned after they had been walking for a few minutes.

"Why didn't you say so?" He grumbled at his sensei, not having the energy to yell or shout. He removed the huge blade from his back with a sigh of relief and handed it to Kakashi, who set it down on a storage scroll and deftly sealed it away.

"There you go, Naruto." He told the boy with an eyesmile.

"Whew...Thanks, Kakashi-sensei. That thing was heavy!" He exclaimed loudly.

Sasuke really wanted that sword, but it was useless to him if he couldn't even lift it. _'Just how strong was that guy if he was swinging that thing around?' _He wondered.

Sakura was feeling jealous that this girl was so powerful and attracted men like bees to honey without effort. On top of that, she was still real sore about Naruto's affections going to her instead. She had almost all but forgotten about Sasuke and the crush she was supposed to have on the brooder. _'That pink haired hussy...'_ Not even gonna point out the irony in that statement.

_**SWORD IMPACT SITE**_

Zabuza rushed into the clearing that his beloved Kubikiri was stuck inside of a boulder...only to find the shattered remains of said boulder and no sword to be found.

"MY SWORD! MY BEAUTIFUL KUBIKIRI! GONE!" Zabuza lamented and wailed comically.

"There, there, Zabuza-sama. We'll see if we can get you a new one later. For now, let's just get back to the fort and think of what to do next." Haku comforted him in a motherly tone as she patted his back like she was comforting a crying child. The pair got up to and left the area, but they noticed the drag mark leading away from them and into the village.

"Hey, those brats five fingered my Kubikiri! Let's go Haku!" He yelled, holding his fist aloft rightiously, Haku sighing behind him as she followed along.

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered.

The pair followed the drag marks for a few moments until they just disappeared. Zabuza sunk to his knees as he remembered all of the heads he removed with that sword, and not knowing what to do without it. He just stood there in a catatonic state, his eyes wide and mouth handing open as Haku gave an exasperated sigh while she dragged him back to their base.

_**TAZUNA'S HOUSE**_

The rest of the trip to Tazuna's place was pretty uneventful, except for Sakura whining that she was tired constantly. Even Tazuna was sucking it up and trudging on and he had no shinobi training, just a lifetime of manual labor (Take it from me. Years of manual labor can really do wonders for your physique, even in old age.)

"You're pretty tough, old man." Naruto commented appraisingly.

"Thanks kid. I've still got some mileage yet in these old bones." He replied. He and Naruto patched things up after their rough start. Tazuna chided himself for chasing a girl that was younger than his daughter.

Tazuna ushered the party inside and introduced them to his family. His daughter, Tsunami, was a very lovely woman with long straight dark hair and had a very nurturing air about her. His grandson, Inari, looked at them once, scoffed, and went upstairs in a huff. When Tazuna explained why he did that, Naruto understood immeadiately. He knew better than anyone what it felt like to feel totally helpless while people did horrible things to you, but he still believed that there was no excuse to just slip into self-pity and expect others to do the same for you. In that sense, the young boy was just like Sasuke, wallowing in his own misery and dragging everyone else down with him and soaking up sympathy.

Later on that afternoon, the group got settled into their rooms. Kurumi was understandably upset at not being able to sleep next to her master, but Tsunami explained things just as expertly as Sarutobi did due to having a child herself and managed to get Kurumi to understand and settled into her room along with Sakura, the boys and Kakashi both settled in with Inari and Tazuna.

Later on, dinner was prepared and served, courtesy of Tsunami. It was mainly just fish and some rice, but to the famished shinobi it was a feast. The meal went by in relative silence and peace, except for the heated glares that Sasuke and Sakura were fixing on the Master/Angel duo and the sulking that Inari was doing. Naruto had a little bit of rice stuck to the side of his mouth, but his pink-tressed companion simply giggled and snagged it and stuck it in her mouth, making the adults chuckle and smirk, but the rest to frown even deeper. It was at that point that Inari slammed his chopsticks in a rage and stood up from the table.

"What the hell is wrong with you people? Gatou's just gonna kill you all! What gives you the right to be so happy?" The boy screamed out, pointing at the duo accusingly.

"Inari!" Tsunami began to scold, but Naruto held up a hand to forestall her while he calmly walked over to the boy and knelt down to his height.

"Inari, Gatou won't kill us. We are here to stop him and protect you. Just have faith in us." He told the boy with a carefully maintained calm. He'd gotten much better at controlling himself in the past few months since he found Kurumi, as Kakashi had noticed.

"What do you know? You grew up in that rich village, eating the best foods and having the best of everything! What would someone spoiled like you all know about pain and suffering?" Inari retorted angrily.

Naruto's patience was hanging by a thread as he hit the boy with a minimal amount of Ki, just enough to make him back down before he replied. "Yes, I grew up in that village and yes they do have many good things, but what makes you think that I was spoiled? I was BORN an orphan, lived on the streets for years until the Hokage found me and helped me into an apartment, but the apartment that I live was already old and run down, in the seediest and nastiest part of town, full of thugs and drunks. I was always beaten up, my money and food stolen by both the drunks and many others that hate me, but no one would stop them. My birthdays are far worse, as I'm hunted down and if I get caught like I have in the past, nearly beaten to death, but to my knowledge no one came to my rescue. Do you know what it's like to be all alone, no one even willing to help you when you need them, no one you can confide in when something happens to you or is willing comfort you when you get hurt? Until then, don't say such things. There will always be someone out there that's had it worse than you." Naruto told the boy sadly as he excused himself from the table and left upstairs.

Tazuna and Tsunami were both stunned by what the blond just revealed to them, while Kakashi hung his head in shame and Kurumi clenched her fists tightly. Sasuke leaned back in his chair with a scoff. "Whatever. That dobe was probably making that up to make himself look cool."

Sakura, however, wasn't too sure and chose to remain silent, an unusually wise decision for her as Kakashi got to his feet in a hurry and fixed Sasuke with a glare and matching Ki. "You say that this was all a hoax? Let me tell you something, everything Naruto was saying...was all true. That WAS his life back then and still is up to this very day. He's had to fight for the right to even exist, something thats been denied to him from the first time he drew breath. You, however, have had a family and powerful clan backing you, the village worshipping the ground you walk on, but you spit in their faces and sneer at them, acting like a petulant child when you are denied something you want." Kakashi snarled at the arrogant child.

Sakura's moment of intelligence came to a screeching halt suddenly when she attempted to come to her crush's defense. "Sensei? How would you know about that baka's life and how could you be so mean to Sasuke-kun? Apologize to him!" She demanded until the person she forgot all about, Kurumi, popped tall.

"I've seen what happened to him once, and I'll NEVER let it happen again. Also, I thought that I told you to never call him that again? Do it again and you'll be limping home." The angelic girl growled as she took off after her small master, a mixture of fury for her master's detractors and concern for the master she loved on her beautiful features.

Kakashi waited until she was gone to deal with his errant students. "I want the two of you to go up to your rooms and stay there once you are finished with your dinner. I have never be so ashamed of how callously you treated your teammate and I would like this to be the last time I am disappointed in you." The one-eyed sensei instructed them coldly as he finished his dinner silently. After he was finished, Kakashi silently moved from the kitchen to the roof of the house with Tazuna and his family moving along to other parts of the house, leaving the two offending Genin to think to themselves.

Sasuke couldn't believe that someone had dared to lecture him like that and was even told that someone else's pain was far greater than his own. If the saying _"What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."_ held any creedence, then the blond deadlast was the strongest of them all, and that was something that he just for the life of him, could not accept.

Sakura was downcast, not even attempting to eat her dinner. She was just reprimanded by her sensei AGAIN, for belittling someone else and that person was Naruto of all people. She was beginning to see just what Kurumi and her aunt saw in him, if only just a little. The blond was far stronger and suffered far more than she could have ever imagined and he was a natural born survivor, more hardened than most experienced shinobi in the ways of the world. However, she can't just shake off years of obsession with the Teme that easily. Her obession with the brooder had become as natural as breathing for her and her ways won't change so quickly.

_**FOREST CLEARING**_

In a clearing near Tazuna's house, Naruto sat by himself, looking out over the span of water that the house was next to as he cursed at how much he just revealed about himself. _'Dammit! I just HAD to open my big mouth and let the Teme and his biggest cheerleader know some of my darkest secrets. Now, they'll probably try to use THAT against me somehow! I wish Auntie Haruna was here, or even Yui-neechan. They'd know what to do...'_

As he pondered how to handle the inevitable questions of his teammates, Kurumi lept into the clearing behind him silently, but he knew that she was there. He could feel her at almost any given time, but he felt that it was due to how she was anchored to him. The angelic girl walked up beside him and sat down.

"You okay, master?" She asked, knowing how his past haunts him.

Naruto sighed tiredly. "I just don't get it, Rumi-chan. What is it with people like the Teme and that Inari kid? What good does it do to wallow in self-pity like that and why do people let them do it? I've had worse stuff happen to me, but I never complained about it. And what's worse, I blabbed a bit about my life to them. The last thing I want is pity, especially from them."

Kurumi sighed as well while slipping her arms around her master. "I don't really know either, master. As for pity, at least I don't, but I don't blame you, either. I admire you. You're really kind and patient with me and I enjoy being with you."

Naruto simply sunk into her embrace. When ever she hugged him, it was like nothing else in the world mattered to him, like none of his problems existed. During those times, it was just her and him. Just her presence soothed him somehow and he didn't know why, but that hardly mattered. Slowly, his anxiety drained away and left him to fall asleep in the angel's arms. Kurumi simply gathered him into her arms and drifted off to sleep, holding her master close.

_**THE NEXT MORNING**_

A young woman was walking amongst the trees and came into a clearing. Once she did, she found two people, a boy younger than her and a girl a little older than her, locked in an embrace in their sleep. She thought that there was something familiar about the two of them, but shook those thoughts from her mind as she walked up to the pair slowly. As she approached, the two began to stir and sat up.

"Morning, master. Did you sleep well?"" She asked him gently.

"Yeah. Thanks...for staying with me last night, Kurumi-chan. I feel better now." Naruto answered.

The young woman that was near by was marveling at the sheer love that the pink-haired girl was showing the smaller blond through her gentle smile when she was noticed and introduced herself.

"Ah, hello. I'm sorry for disturbing you. My name is Haku." The girl told them softly.

Kurumi blinked for a moment, then answered. "I'm Kurumi!" She said excitedly.

"I'm Naruto. What brings you here, nee-chan?" He asked.

Haku giggled slightly at being addressed as "Nee-chan", but answered the boy none the less. "I'm here to pick herbs for someone, someone precious to me."

"Precious person?" Kurumi asked.

"Yes. A person that is more important to me than myself. I trust you have such a person?" She asked, her soft brown eyes motioning to Naruto.

Kurumi picked up on what she meant. "I do."

She then noticed their Hitai-ate. "So, you are both shinobi?"

"Yeah, nee-chan! We're here to save this place!" Naruto told her.

Haku started giggling, but it hid what she was thinking. _'These two...They are the Konoha shinobi that Zabuza-sama and I were fighting! The girl was powerful enough to take out Zabuza-sama in one punch and if he's right, the boy is a Jinchuuriki...trying to take them out now will only end up with me unsuccessful...and dead. Time to leave.'_ She thought as she stood up to leave.

"I'm afraid I have to get going Naruto-kun, Kurumi-chan. Hopefully we'll meet again soon." She told them as she made her way to the edge of the small patch of forest that the pair settled into.

Just as she left their sight, Haku sighed deeply. _'They seem...so happy together. The young blond looked like he was grateful to her, so grateful. He seemed like the girl helped him overcome great sadness and hardship. Oooh, I wish we hadn't taken this job, working for that bastard Gatou...'_ She lamented as she lept into the trees, bound for the forest base she and Zabuza were using.

Naruto and Kurumi decided to pick up and head back to Tazuna's house, Naruto feeling much better after his heart to heart with Kurumi and talking with Haku. The brown-eyed girl gave him the vibe of an older sister, much like Yui did, and it made him feel more at ease.

_**TAZUNA'S HOUSE**_

Team 7 had risen early to prepare for a day of guarding Tazuna and training when Kakashi noticed something. _'Naruto and Kurumi still aren't back yet. Naruto was pretty upset last night...'_ He mused as he asked the others if they had seen them.

"Who cares about the dobe? Where's the wench at?" Was Sasuke's grunted reply.

"I couldn't care less if that dobe or that whore he hangs out with ever come back." Sakura huffed. One would have thought from the hangdog expression she wore last night after he told them about a facet of his life, she would have learned a lesson from it? That must not apply to hardcore fangirls, I guess.

Kakashi palmed his face at their answers. _'THIS is what the council expected me to work with? The so-called Dead Last has far more potential than these two, not to mention is far easier and more pleasant to deal with.'_ The Copy-nin thought as he prepare to admonish them, but a call from the door stalled him.

"We're back, everyone." Naruto called out, holding on to Kurumi's hand.

Tsunami was the first to run up and check on them, fussing over their health, basically slamming face first into mommy mode. Kakashi strode up to the boy and knelt down to look him in the eye.

"You feeling better, kiddo?" He asked.

"Yeah...I am. Thanks, sensei. I appreiciate it." He answered.

Kakahsi had a few notions as to what might have transpired out there in the forest, but a few of them were simply inappropiate for him young student's minds. However, those thoughts didn't detract from the fact that he seemed to be much better now. He stood up and addressed his team as a whole.

"Well, now that we are all together, we will go out to train for a little bit." Kakashi told them as he turned to Kurumi.

"Kurumi, would you mind going with the client and protecting him?" Kakashi asked of her. She looked to Naruto, who gave her a nod.

"Um...Okay, Kakashi-sensei!" She chirped merrily as she turned to Tazuna and picked him up over her head.

"Come on, old man! I'll get you there faster!" She told him in her usual perky voice as she sped off toward the bridge.

All Kakashi and Naruto could do was chuckle at her enthusiaism as they picked up and shipped out to the same patch of forest that Naruto fell asleep in the previous night.

_**FOREST CLEARING**_

Team 7 made their way to a patch of forest that had a patch of trees lined up in an almost perfect row.

"Okay. The object of this exercise is to learn to climb trees..." Kakashi told the group before getting interrupted by Sasuke.

"Tch. Even the Dobe and that stupid wench can do this. This won't give me power, Kakashi." Sasuke declared with a scathing tone.

True to form, Sakura dumbly nodded in agreement, but refrained from speaking. Both actions were met with a short burst of Ki to silence them. After they stopped making noise, Kakashi continued his explanation.

"Now, before I was rudely interrupted...This exercise will teach you how to climb trees, without your hands." The Copy-nin told them as he walked up the side of a nearby tree to prove him point.

Again, Sasuke scoffed. "What use would a cheap parlor trick be against HIM?" He growled in irritation.

"Well for starters, this will help you learn how to control your chakra better, meaning that you can use more jutsu and more efficiently. On top of that, this exercise can help you build your reserves up and your stamina. Take Naruto for instance..." He told them.

"What about the Dobe?" Sakura snorted.

Kakashi's patience was wearing thin with how they treated their teammate. He decided to give them a reality check. "As far as sheer power and chakra reserves, Naruto has us all beat hands down. Simply put, he has Kage-level chakra reserves and stamina, which enables him to keep going strong long after anyone else would have run dry or even drop dead, making him the ideal Ninjutsu and heavy combat specialist. However, since he's so young, his control suffers greatly. I can imagine that this was the reason he couldn't perform the basic Bunshin. He simply had too much chakra and it was like trying to fill a thimble with a fire hose, completely understandable, but I can't see why the Academy didn't see this. It was an obvious problem."

Sasuke and Sakura both felt their jaws hit the ground, but Sasuke's wounded pride reared it's ugly head as he grabbed Naruto by the front of his shirt. "Dobe, tell me how you got this power! Give it to me!" He yelled in the blond's face.

"I was born like this, you jackass! Weren't you listening to Kakashi-sensei? My control sucks and I had to work hard to get this far!" Naruto countered.

"Naruto-baka! Just tell him how you did it!" Sakura yelled at him, but she noticed her slip just a moment too late.

_'Dammit! I need to quit yelling at him to get him away form that tramp, but Sasuke-kun...He needs this power and Naruto-baka won't give it to him!'_ She reasoned. For being so smart, supposedly, this girl is quite stupid when faced with cold, hard logic that conflicts with her fangirl views of how the world is and what she thinks it should be.

Kakashi decided that he'd seen enough. "Sasuke! Let him go! He was telling the truth, his kind of sheer chakra power and reserves requires YEARS of training to learn how to harness properly and safely. It's not something that any jutsu or shortcut can give you. Now, we will all try this technique." He commanded.

Sasuke took off at his tree at a sprint and tried to climb it, but only got up a few steps before the back of his head was introduced to the cold, hard ground. Sakura gave it a shot and nearly made it to the top on her first try. She was about to start cheering until she saw Naruto calmly walk up the side of the tree like Kakashi had done moments before easily.

Kakashi looked up from his book to see it happen. "Oh ho...Somebody's been hard at work on his control. Very nice, Naruto. Your reserves would have made this impossible on a first try, but you've been working hard on your own at improving upon your weaknesses and I like that kind of drive."

Sakura was flabberghasted at the fact that Naruto had accomplished this on his first try. "You cheated , Naruto-baka! There's no way you could be better than Sasuke-kun!"

Kakashi just pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Sakura, I watched him do it with my own eyes. I noticed that you too have accomplished this exercise, but your reserves are pitiful. I can see and I sense that just this exercise has nearly exhausted your reserves. I want you and Sasuke to keep working on this exercise for the time being." He told the two of them as he walked over to Naruto.

"I really am proud that you have been taking your training so seriously, Naruto. The training philosophy you have been using is quite a wise one, to work on your weaknesses and turning them into your strengths, just like all of our Hokage's have done in the past. I can see that you are well on your way to becoming a solid shinobi. Now, for the time being, I have another exercise that you can try." He told him as he motioned for him to follow.

After about 5 minutes, Sasuke threw his kunai at his tree in anger and tore off in the direction that Kakashi walked off in. "That stupid Naruto is NOT better than me! An Uchiha!" He snarled. Sakura who was watching from a tree branch, lept down to follow her crush.

Kakashi had lead them to a small creek that was mere yards from where he left his other students. "Now, this exercise will teach you how to flucuate your chakra on an unstable surface. The surface of the water is always changing, so you must adjust accordingly." He explained.

After a brief run through, Naruto gave it a try and fell in. Kakashi just chuckled and told the boy to keep at it while he left to go check on Sasuke and Sakura. From a nearby bush, the two in question were watching, one with rage and jealousy and the other with curiosity.

Sasuke lept form the bushes and charged over to Naruto. "You lied, Dobe! Now, give me your power!" He screamed in anger.

Kakashi had heard the commotion and came running. "What's going on here?" He demanded, towhich Sasuke sneered and stalked back to where he was supposed to be.

Kakashi sighed while he set Naruto back to work, walking back to where Sasuke should have been practicing. Sasuke brooding again while shoving Sakura away. From the looks of it, she was trying to encourage him, but his pride wouldn't allow him to accept help from anyone he saw as below him.

"Sasuke, I specifically told you to stay here and practice this exercise until you mastered it. Why did you disobey my orders?" The Jounin demanded, well within his rights to. Disobeying a lawful order was a hefty offence, one that could be punished by jail time and having your shinobi licsense revoked for an indetermined amount of time.

However, being spoiled beyond belief by the village and council had given Sasuke an over-inflated sense of entitlement and privilege to the point where he felt that the rules didn't apply to him anymore. "You were teaching the Dobe instead of me! I want you to teach me what you taught him!" He demanded.

"The exercise that I taught to you is the first step to the one I showed Naruto. He mastered the first step on his own, so master this before you move on." Kakashi growled, his calm rapidly deteriorating.

"But, what about me, sensei?" Sakura asked.

"You? You have near perfect control but still need a lot of work on your capacity and stamina. An Academy student has more chakra than you do and could run circles around you, not to mention the exercise that Naruto is using would drain you dry in less than a few seconds. You really should have been working on this a long time ago and don't try to justify it, either." He scolded her in a much more gentle, yet still firm manner than Sasuke.

Sakura lowered her head. She knew WHY her reserves were beyond pitiful. She completely neglected her training in favor of following her crush around like a puppy. Just to be fair, she was one of many kunoichi in her class that had. However, the unfair part in her mind was that Ino had at least three times more chakra than she did and she was just as bad of a fangirl as she was. This was now the second time she had questioned her whole view on life in general.

Kakashi sighed once more as he left them to their training, pulling out his Icha Icha book to read and calm himself while his team trained. On the inside, though, he was in turmoil. _'Obito...I owe you much, my friend. My name, my career, my life...All that I have accomplished to this day, I owe to you. I would help the last of your clan, but he has become the complete opposite of you and all that you stood for, what you died for. Self-centered, arrogant... these are only a sample of what the boy has become. Damn that council for using your memory like this...' _Kakashi thought bitterly, but directed his thoughts to the blond on his team.

_'Naruto, however, he is just like you and sensei...you would have liked him. I am glad that I can help and protect someone who upholds your ideals and honor, like Naruto. For all that he has suffered and endured, it is time that I begin to atone for not being there for him, like you and sensei would have.' _ He surmised sadly as he called training to a halt for the day.

_ A/N:_ _I know that this chapter was kind of angsty, but it still proves a purpose and I'm only allowed to list TWO genres for this story. I want my readers to run the full gamut of emotions and not just stay nailed down to any one emotion. Anyway, the feared Demon of the Mist is now regretting taking on this job. He now knows that Kakashi isn't the only major threat and has a strong suspicion that Naruto is a Jinchuuriki, and an active one. If that wasn't bad enough, Kurumi is nearly an S-Class threat herself._

_ Next, Inari's little rant triggered some of Naruto's painful memories to re-surface and caused him to lash out. Kurumi, being connected with him on a very intimate, spiritual level, could sense his distress and helped him through it by being there. Then came the meeting with Haku and now the Tree Climbing exercise._

_ Kakashi has been growing displeased with how Sasuke and Sakura have been treating their teammate and how they thought that he was beneath them. Now, he had a chance to give them a reality check by pointing out some glaring points where the blond is by and far superior to them and the fact that Naruto has been hard at work to ease the weaknesses he still harbors, which was further reinforced when Naruto easily completes the exercise, having mastered it before hand._

_ This, of course, gets Sasuke's panties in a bunch, but Kakashi is quick to put him in his place and point out his and Sakura's glaring flaws that they have never even bothered fixing. As a result, Sakura is beginning, just barely, to see that the way she's been living was costing her dearly. Bear in mind, there will be no over-night changes for her or any other person. These changes of heart and personality will happen over time._

_ That's enough out of me. I mean, it's noy like many people read these Author's Note's, anyway._


	7. A Job Well Done

_ Greeting and salutaions once again everyone! I hope you all had a nice Turkey Day and ate yourselves into a stupor like I did! Man...All of my favorite were there! Greenbean Casserole, My wife's own Brussle Sprout Casserole with Applewood Bacon, Honey and Molasses glazed Ham and a nice, succulent turkey with stuffing and mashed taters...(drools)_

_ Oops! Sorry! I'm a good food addict! Anyway, to recap:_

_ Naruto, Kurumi and Team 7 are now hip deep in the Wave Mission Arc and have alread had their hilarious encounter with Zabuza, whose sword got boosted! They made it to Tazuna's house and get settled in for the night. During dinner, Inari had his little Emo moment and set off Naruto, who reveals a sliver of what his life has been like for him. Kakashi merely tells them that he was telling the truth and not to ask him about it while Kurumi finds and comforts him. The two wake up in the forest to find Haku, who was picking herbs nearby while gathering intel. They strike up a friendship with her as they talk. Bidding her goodbye, Kakashi has Kurumi guard Tazuna while he trains the three Genin. Naruto shows that he is a little ahead of the curve on his exercises and gets help for another one while Sasuke and Sakura master the Tree Climbing. Naturally, Sasuke sees this as an insult and storms off to make Naruto spill his secrets, which prompts another ass-chewing from Kakashi, bringing us here..._

_**TAZUNA'S HOUSE**_

The three Genin filed back into the house to find Tazuna and Kurumi there as well, back from the bridge already. Kurumi saw her master was back and rushed over to hug him like she usually did, not that he minded a single bit anymore. He had a talk with Kakashi and the Hokage about her actions and his 'feelings'. They had a feeling that this day would come soon and since he didn't have anyone else around that would teach him stuff like this, they filled those billets, giving him "The Talk". Y'know, Birds and Bees sort of thing. Anyway, after that, he was feeling better about himself and took comfort in knowing that his two male adult figures were far worse perverts than he could ever be.

"Ma-Naruto-kun!" Kurumi greeted, almost slipping as she began to tell him about her day at the construction site.

Tazuna wore an amused grin as she wove her tale, talking animatedly like an excited child as she used hand gestures to describe what she did and saw. She also had apparently helped out at the site by acting as a human bulldozer, crane and heavy lifter and also pulverized large rocks into gravel for them. She even pounded in metal rivets WITHOUT a hammer, something that had all the foremen gaping in awe. At first, the workers leered at her as just another pretty face, but after they saw what she could do, they left her alone and even asked if she could come back to help again. She really helped them get back on schedule and with a little more help, they'd be done in another week.

As soon as Tazuna wound down the tale, Kurumi beamed at her master.

"Nice job, Kurumi-chan!" Naruto commended her.

Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle at their antics. A fighting machine that acted like a young child and the young shinobi who, through the work of fate, became her master. She in return, became his salvation from turning to hate. Her love for him saved him from further pain in his short life and was already changing him for the better. He was still the same sunny person, but was also a good deal more patient and wise. More than once, Kakashi thought that Kami had meant for Naruto to find her, guiding him to her resting place to atone for everything he had to sacrifice for the good of the village. Seeing how happy she made the boy, he simply hadn't the heart to keep them apart. Kakashi Hatake, the Tin-Man with a heart, knew love when he saw it and chose to help it along over his orders form the council, something his sensei and teammates would have been proud of him for.

As expected, Sasuke and Sakura were both sulking, but for different reasons. Sakura was sulking because she was scolded again for her behaivior. In the Academy, she was little miss perfect, always scored the highest on her exams, teacher's pet who could do no wrong. Even when she was picking on Naruto, the teachers turned a blind eye to it. Now, Naruto had these people standing up for him like Kurumi, their team sensei, and even her own aunt. On top of that, the things she had been hearing about Naruto from the other villagers and what she had seen for herself had some glaring contradictions. However, most of her young life had been wasted fawning over her crush and ostrisizing Naruto, so these habits are hard, if not near impossible to eradicate completely without some serious mental therapy.

Sasuke was a different story. For a very long time, since he first met Naruto, he had been the superior one and the one that made Naruto jealous over all of the advantages he had over the lonely blond. He had legions of rabid fangirls and a few fanboys, the popular support of nearly the whole village due to his clan's fame and wealth, and the council licking his boots. He thought that he had one more thing to hang over Naruto's head when he thought Naruto failed to graduate, but this was only the beginning of Naruto's rise from the prodigy's shadow. He then showed a level of skill and strength that he never would have expected from the blond in his lifetime and Naruto garnered the respect of their sensei, further rousing his ire and jealousy. The final nail in the coffin was Naruto's inseperable companion, Kurumi. The pink haired young woman held a heavenly beauty he'd never seen before and a supernatural power that he desired for himself. He believed that Naruto was undeserving of such a prize, that only an Uchiha like himself could have such a woman.

Either way, Kakashi had a growing problem on his hands, one that needed to be taken care of quickly if he had any chance of salvaging this team's already decaying teamwork. He was toying with the idea of entering them in the Chuunin Exams as a way of forcing the other two into working with Naruto, but that plan had some glaring and deadly flaws. There was a good chance that Sasuke would simply wait until Naruto's guard was down and kill him, with Sakura either turning a blind eye or even helping him do it and get away with it. If that were to happen, Kurumi could quite possibly run amok and destroy the village to avenge her master, then there's the possiblity that they could release the Kyuubi once again with Naruto's death.

_'No...There HAS to be another way. There has to...'_ He thought.

_**ZABUZA'S TREE BASE - FURTHER INLAND**_

A few miles away, held aloft in a large tree, was a hideout that Zabuza used as his base of operations. Haku stood on a balcony with her head propped up by her hands with a sad look on her face. She had met Naruto and Kurumi and saw that they were truly happy with each other, but she was going to have to fight and possibly kill them when they next met. That, along with what her employer was doing to the people of Wave, left a real sour taste in her mouth.

Zabuza, who was in his room planning out his assualt on the Konoha ninja, sighed in frustration as he scrubbed another plan.

_'Dammit...If it was just Hatake and three brats, this wouldn't be too hard with just Haku and myself, but that pink haired girl and the blond brat...two powerful and unknown factors. One clean hit from that girl took me out of the fight and if that blond really is a Jinchuuriki, we're in over our heads. Either one of them alone are a threat, but all three? I'd need at least two more of Haku to pull this off...on top of all that, they have my Kubikiri! Damn that little midget Gatou for getting us into this...'_ Zabuza thought as he labored on.

A rustling at the entrance to their small fort alerted them to an unwelcome presense, their employer. The short, fat, pig-like man swaggered in on borrowed confidence, two of his lackeys at his side. Zabuza really didn't like the man, especially how he eyed Haku with a disgusting leer everytime he saw her. He might not see himself as the fatherly type, but the young woman was as close to a daughter as he ever had and he'd be damned if anything untoward happened to her under his watchful eye.

Haku felt a chill of revulsion scramble up and down her spine as the disgusting lecher eyed her before turning to Zabuza. She wished they could just be done with him and leave, but they signed a contract and they needed money, badly. Besides, if they didn't hold up their end of the deal, Kiri Oi-nin would be hot on their heels in a matter of hours. They had to play by his rules, for now.

"Zabuza! I thought I told you that I want that old man dead! What exactly...is so hard about offing one old man and a bunch of brats?" The small man screamed.

"Don't you know anything, you fool? The Jounin that old man hired is none other than Kakashi Hatake, a near S-Rank shinobi and an ANBU Captain like I was, not to mention his teacher was the infamous Yellow Flash. The older girl with the group is an unknown enemy, but she's extremely powerful and dangerous. Lastly, I think the blond haired boy is a Jinchuuriki. Of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. His aura was powerful, demonic even. Messing with a Jinchuriki is always a bad idea." Zabuza to him.

Even Gatou cringed at the mention of the Kyuubi. It was an unstoppable beast of limitless power that leveled all in it's path. That was enough to rattle him, but in the end, Greed won out over cowardice and fear. He simply would NOT let the bridge be built. It would end his monopoly in Wave and choke off profits.

"I don't care about excuses, you lazy good-for-nothing! What am I even paying you for?" Gatou retorted until Haku was behind him, her needles aimed at his throat.

"If you are quite finished, I believe that you should show yourselves out." She told them softly, yet with a deadly tone mixed in.

Gatou's two thugs were quick on the draw with their blades, being ex-samurai, but Zabuza stayed them with a paralyzing burst of Ki that sent them running, Gatou close behind them, waddling as fast as his troll-like legs would allow him. He did, however, turn to give them one final threat.

"You'd better hold up your end of the deal we made, or the Kiri Hunter nin will be getting an anonymous tip as to where you are." He snarled as he continued his paniced flight.

As soon as they were sure Gatou and his two goons were gone, Haku let her opinion be known.

"We shouldn't have accepted this job. He'll just turn us in the moment we're of no use to him. We have to go." She urged her father figure.

"I know, but we signed a contract. We have to see it through." Zabuza told her solemnly as he decided to go through with his primary plan, to assualt the bridge head on.

"Get your gear ready and get some rest, Haku. Tomorrow, we strike." He told her as he left to get his own gear ready.

Haku left to go prepare her gear for the assualt, but with some reservations. Her conscience was pricking away at her constantly since meeting Naruto and Kurumi, making her question her loyalties.

_'No...I can't do this...Kami, help me...'_ The Ice wielding maiden cried silently in prayer.

_**THE NEXT MORNING - TAZUNA'S HOUSE**_

Team 7 rose with the sun, as did the rest of the house's inhabitants to start their day. Kakashi decided that he would take Sasuke and Sakura over to the bridge and leave Kurumi and Naruto behind to protect the house. Sasuke grumbled about not being allowed to train while Sakura whined about the early hours as they shuffled off after Tazuna, bound for the bridge. Kakashi had to pinch the bridge of his nose to stave off an impending headache that his other two students were giving him with their whining as he also buried his face into his Icha Icha book, "Touched by an Angel." He favored this particular volume due to the fact of how much it was like Naruto's own situation, minus the wild sex part, of course.

The stroll to the bridge took around a half an hour to complete, but they finally got to see a thick mist shroud the bridge, small splotches of blood seen about. As they drew further onto the bridge, they saw that the construction crew had nearly been wiped out. One man was still conscious and Tazuna was at his side.

"A...d-demon..." Was all he managed to say before he fell silent, his eyes closing for the final time.

"Uh oh. This isn't good." Kakashi murmured as the mist thickened.

"Well, hello again Kakashi. I see that the blond brat and the other wench aren't here with you...That's too bad. You see, I want my Kubikiri back, but this blade that I, _'borrowed'_ from one of my employer's thugs should do for you. As for your other brats...HAKU!" He called out, a small hail of senbon peppering the ground before Sakura and Sasuke.

"Handle these two while I take care of Kakashi." Zabuza ordered.

Haku looked around for Naruto and Kurumi, but didn't see them there.

_'I can do this! I won't have to fight them after all!'_ She cheered as she got ready.

"Hmph. You look weak. I want a challange." Sasuke sneered, crossing his arms arrogantly.

"Be careful what you wish for, Uchiha-san..." She chided as she blurred from sight, only to reappear next to Sakura, senbon to her throat.

"You just might get it." She finished.

"Che...She's just a useless fangirl. I won't shed any tears over her." Sasuke scoffed, to Sakura's horror.

"S-Sasuke-k-kun?" She whimpered. He was going to let her die? Her life flashed before her eyes, especially back to all of the times she chased after Sasuke. She felt foolish for all that she had done and sacrificed for the selfish boy's attention. That also brought to mind her Aunt's warnings about people like Sasuke and the Uchiha in general.

'_Auntie Haruna...I so sorry that I didn't listen to you...' _She sobbed inwardly.

This also brought up how badly she treated Naruto over the years she'd known him. He was always being nice to her and trying to buck her up, but her obsession with Sasuke made her blind to it. Then, when Kurumi appeared and grabbed Naruto's attention from her, she was jealous but had no right to be. Her Aunt was right on the money as usual about missing out on something wonderful.

_'And now...I'll never get to find out. Naruto...I'm so sorry. I hope that you and Kurumi will forgive me some day...'_ She sobbed once again as she braced for death.

Haku couldn't believe what she had heard from the Uchiha prodigy. He was willing to sacrifice his teammate, to let her die in front of him! Such arrogance and selfishness made her blood boil. She didn't want to kill the girl in the first place, so she put her in a death like state from whcih she could be revived by plunging a trio of needles into her neck, setting her down gently.

"Hn...Good, one nuisance out of the way. I just wish that Dobe Naruto was here so that you could kill him, too. Then, his wench will have no choice but to spread her legs for me." He laughed darkly.

_'He's as bad as Gatou...That little piece of filth!'_ Haku reaged inwardly, yet on the outside, she was calm and tranquil.

Tazuna was sick to his stomach at what Sasuke had done. He let her die and even laughed about it. _'This little punk will have hell to pay if we get out of this...'_ He growled in anger as he took cover.

"Shall we fight, Uchiha-san?" She asked, palming more needles.

Back at the house, Naruto got a chill up his spine and the cup that had his tea in it cracked. He normally wasn't a superstitious person, but he had a bad feeling something bad happened at the bridge. Kurumi and Tsunami saw his face and asked if he was alright.

"Y-yeah...I'm fine." He answered them, more to calm himself than anything else.

Tsunami bought it, but Kurumi knew him too well. She knows that he is a master at masking his pain and discomfort.

"Master...something happened, right?" She asked.

Before Naruto could answer, he heard a scream from the front door. He and Kurumi raced out to find that Tsunami and Inari had been captured by two of Gatou's thugs and were still trying to struggle.

The two thugs noticed the pair and scoffed.

"Heh...THIS is what Zabuza was so worried about? Some wench and a shrimp?" The one with an eyepatch sneered.

"Hmm...I wouldn't mind dominating this sweet little number...She's certainly more built than that scrawny little girl Zabuza's probably killed by now on the bridge." The second leered at Kurumi, making Naruto's hackles rise. His addition only served to increase Naruto's fears. Sakura may not be in his good graces anymore, he certainly would not let a fellow Konoha shinobi die if he could help it. He owed it to Haruna to make sure Sakura came back safely.

Before either one could make a move, they were both taken out in a near instant and both Steel Angel and Master hit them both at the same time, making sure they were sent to Hell for what they had done and were about to do.

"Kurumi, let's go. They need us at the bridge...It feels like something went wrong, really wrong." Naruto told her, his voice shaking.

With only a nod, she lept off after him, bound for the bridge.

Back at the bridge, Zabuza was doing well for himself despite not having his Kubikiri with him. He was managing to at least keep Kakashi at bay while Haku was picking the Uchiha kid apart. Although, the kid's tactics left a bad taste in his mouth and it was obvious that Kakashi wasn't too pleased with it, either.

_'He just stood there while Sakura was slain and even encouraged it! He will have much to answer for...'_ Kakashi snarled inwardly as he and Zabuza clashed once again.

Haku had already called out her Makyo Hyousho, peppering Sasuke with multiple senbon while flying from mirror to mirror. Sasuke was helpless even though he had finally accessed his Sharingan, the Ice Maiden was still too fast for his vaunted eyes to track. Finally, he got tired of getting tagged and ran over to Sakura's still body and hefted her up into a makeshift shield.

Haku's eyes widened in surprize, then narrowed in rage. This was the ultimate dishonor to his teammate, even if she wasn't completely dead.

"How low will you sink, Uchiha? What right have you do you think you have to do such a thing to your own teammate?" Haku yelled through her mask until a massive burst of Ki exploded from the end of the bridge. Naruto had just shown up and heard what happened. And he wasn't happy at all.

_'No...Haruna-Obasan...I'm so sorry...'_ He thought as he tried to fight back his tears. His rage was rushing to the forefront and along with it, the Kyuubi's chakra.

"Kurumi-chan...protect the old man." He told her, his voice laden with both sadness and authority.

Kurumi wanted to fight alongside her master, but obeyed his command loyally. She could tell that her master wanted to deal with this personally. Sakura may not have been the nicest person to them, but she was a teammate and that as what Naruto and Kakashi-sensei had taught to them. She had come to take Kakashi at his word since Naruto looked to him for guidance and wisdom, addressing him as sensei as well.

_**"What the HELL is going on here?"**_ Naruto asked, his voice taking on a demonic timbre.

Haku looked down in shame as she lifted her mask to let Naruto see her face. She had tears in running down her beautiful face. Sasuke, who was holding up Sakura as a human shield, held a cocky smirk. His new arrogance was bolstered by the fact that he now had his Sharingan at his disposal.

"Naruto...I can explain..." Haku tried to say, but was cut off by Sasuke.

"This fangirl finally came in useful as my shield. She should be proud that he helped the Uchiha survive long enough to procreate. I might as well take this one. She looks like she could bear some strong children. Dobe, hurry up and help me subdue her and I'll let you watch as I take your woman into my bed. It's the least I could you for a common loser like you." He sneered.

Sasuke's answer was an explosion of blood red chakra that washed over the entire bridge, a wave of dread and malice following it.

_**"Sasuke...you bastard. How DARE you use her as a shield?"**_ He roared in rage as he lept at the arrogant Uchiha in a flash.

Sasuke wasn't expecting this to happen, so he held Sakura in front of him to absorb the blow again, but he suddenly felt her weight vanish. Looking around, he saw Naruto, his chakra tail swaying behind him like a living appendage, gently lay her down next to his companion and asking her to keep guard.

Nearby, Kakashi and Zabuza stopped fighting when they felt the monsterous energy saturate the air around them, looking for the source.

"No...Naruto..." Kakashi murmured.

Zabuza caught that. "You mean...That blond kid is a Jinchuuriki?"

"Yes. He is the container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Kakashi answered solemnly as he jumped off.

"That chakra's coming from where Haku is...HAKU!" Zabuza realized as he followed Kakashi.

Kakashi and Zabuza landed just to the side of Kurumi, who was trying and failing to bring Sakura back around.

"Sensei! I don't know what's wrong with her!" Kurumi cried as Zabuza looked over the wounds.

"This looks like Haku's work. Don't worry, Oujo-chan. This is non-lethal. That girl is only sleeping." He told the fretting angel as he called Haku over to remove the needles. Almost instantly, Sakura was stirring again.

"Uhhnnn...What? I'm...not dead?" She asked.

"Sakura...what happened out there? Why are Naruto and Sasuke fighting?" Kakashi asked.

"S-S-Sasuke-k...Sasuke...Was going to let that girl...kill me..." Was all Sakura could choke out before crying, Kurumi offering her shoulder as support as she rubbed the younger girl's back comfortingly.

"Don't worry. Haku didn't want to kill you or you'd be dead by now. She only put you to sleep for a little while." Zabuza explained.

Kurumi took over and filled in the gaps of the story, Tazuna and Haku backing her up. Kakashi was filled with rage at what the _'last'_ Uchiha had pulled. This was considered treason and punishable by death, but he would have to take him back to be tried by Court Marshal first. His next thought went to why Zabuza was being so helpful? What would he have to gain?

Zabuza already knew what was on the Copy-nin's mind. "Haku would never forgive me if I attacked you now. As far as I'm concerned, I am no longer in Gatou's employ. She revealed to me that he was planning to betray us all along, so the old man and his family are safe from me." The Kijin no Kiri replied.

Back with Sasuke and Naruto, Naruto was ready to rip the Uchiha apart, but Sasuke's arrogance reared it's ugly head...and sealed his fate.

"Hey dobe...Why so angry? All I did was get rid of some dead weight. It's not like I would have actually given that pathetic fangirl my seed someday. The least she would have done was provide some entertainment. That female of yours is what I really want. So how about handing her over dobe. It's not like you can beat me now that I have my Sharingan." Sasuke boasted.

Wasting no words, Naruto flashed in and connected with a solid blow to the brooder's ribs, cracking a few of them and forcing Sasuke to his knees before him.

"Haruna-obasan...I love her like a mother...She's always been there for me growing up since I had no parents. She made me feel better when everyone else hurt me. I promised Haruna-obasan...that I would protect Sakura, her only living relative, with my life. Now, because of you..._**SHE'S GONE!"**_ Naruto yelled out in a scream of unholy rage, pounding the _proud_ Uchiha into ground chuck on the spot.

Sakura heard everything he said. _'He really sees Auntie as his mother? She always told me to be nice to him, but I didn't know about this...I so sorry Naruto. I can't let you do this and get into trouble for my sake.'_

_**"TIME TO DIE, UCHIHA!"**_ Naruto roared as he rasied his clawed fist to end Sasuke's time in this world.

"NARUTO! STOP, HE'S NOT WORTH IT!" She screamed out to him, causing him to pause.

"S-Sakura? You're alive?" He stammered out as his Bijuu cloak died down, letting Sasuke fall to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Y-yes...I'm okay now." She called out tiredly as Kurumi helped her stand.

"Good...That's good." He breathed out in relief as he made his way over to them, dragging a very unconscious Sasuke back with him. He stumbled a bit since using his Demon Chakra heavily taxes his chakra network, but he managed to make it over to them before falling to his knees in exhaustion.

Sakura was feeling confused. Sasuke, the one she had practically thrown her life down the crapper for thus far, tried to use her as a human shield just to save his own hide. He stated that he would never love her or anyone, only use them to get what he wants. On the other hand, there was what she learned about the connection between her aunt and Naruto. Her aunt seemed to be a motherly influence on Naruto for most, if not all of his life and he loved her dearly for it. All of the signs were there right in front of her and she STILL didn't see it and it was this connection that had been keeping her safe on this mission. He had made an oath to protect her for her aunt's sake.

Everyone else had their own thoughts on the situation, but were interrupted by the sharp rapping of a cane on the concrete of the bridge. They looked over at the source of the sound to see Gatou and a small army of his thugs, around 150 strong.

"Gatou...What the hell as YOU doing here?" Zabuza growled in suspicion. Haku had put him on his guard around the pig-like man and it seemed like she was right to do so.

"I just thought it was time to cut my losses and make a little extra on the side by selling your hide to Kiri and your partner as my little servant." Gatou snidely told them as he looked around to see Kurumi.

"Well, well...I guess there's another lovely young thing for me to play with after this is all over." Gatou leered at Kurumi, his very gaze filling her with the urge to eliminate him this instant.

"You bastard...You never intended to pay us!" Zabuza roared in anger.

"Of course not. Why pay you when I could just have these thugs do the job at half your rate?" The disgusting little man snorted as he readied his thugs to attack.

"Damn...I really wish I had my sword..." Zabuza muttered as he got ready, Kakashi and Haku joining him.

"Wait...Scroll, in my pouch...Your sword's inside it. Take it." Naruto mumbled in exhaustion.

Zabuza reached inside and found the scroll he was told about and unsealed it. After a puff of smoke, his sword lay before him.

"Thanks kid. Now get some rest before you join in." The Kijin no Kiri told the boy as he strode forward.

"You did good, Naruto. Rest up and let us handle this." Kakashi told his young student with, if he didn't have his mask on, wold have been a smile.

Kurumi moved in front of the two injured and exhausted Genin and Tazuna while Haku and the two ex-ANBU Captains moved in to intercept the bandits and low-lifes.

"KILL ALL OF THE MEN AND BRING ME THE GIRLS! A BONUS TO THE ONE WHO BRINGS ME ZABUZA'S HEAD!" Gatou screamed as his thugs who, like hounds from Hell, nearly stampeded over each other to get the deed done.

"Here they come..." Haku murmured as she flipped through handseals for an Ice jutsu.

_**HYOUTON : MAKYO HYOUSHO**_

Icy death rained down on the first wave of hired swords, disabling and killing almost all of them. The rest that made it through were quickly cut down by Zabuza and Kakashi while Kurumi stayed back to protect her master, Sakura, and Tazuna.

Gatou couldn't believe what just happened. Over thirty mercs killed in under a minute by only three people. He hated ninja. They weren't only sneaky and more often than not smart, but also powerful. That was why he usually had them killed after their mission was complete, but Zabuza and Haku had him pegged and had now joined with the Konoha ninja in protecting Tazuna.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL WAITING FOR? KILL THEM NOW!" Gatou screamed as he hid behind more of his thugs.

Zabuza made some Mizu Bunshin and Kakashi did the same, as Mizu Bunshin weren't nearly as costly as Kage Bunshin, but were still effective in a pinch. Thankfully, he and Zabuza didn't get the chance to use up much chakra during their fight or they'd be too tired to fight off these thugs for very long.

The fighting raged on as Naruto regained his strength, handing Sakura a soldier pill to aid in her recovery and handing Tazuna a kunai to protect himself.

"Like handling a masonry trowl." Tazuna told him with a grin as Sakura agreed to stay with Tazuna while Kurumi and himself lept into the fray. Kurumi fought like an avenging angel, sending thugs flying off of the bridge at various trajectories with her Taijutsu while Naruto created some clones to help even the odds, thinning down the numbers even more. Even Sakura got to defeat a couple of thugs with Tazuna helping as much as he could. Finally, after another 5 minutes of fighting, the last of Gatou's thugs had been dealt with, over half were killed and the rest were apprehended to be taken to the capital of Fire Country for punishment.

Zabuza and Haku were both tired, but dragged themselves over to the pig-like dictator do mete out his punishment. "So, what do you think we should do about this piece of garbage?" Zabuza asked his partner, a scowl on his bandaged face.

"Give that little bastard to me. He needs to be judged by the people he's hurt and savaged." Tazuna growled as he strode up.

Kakashi knew that look and didn't envy the small tyrant one bit, giving a smirk.

"Looks like he's in for a world of hurt." He commented.

With that said, they bound Gatou and Sasuke up in ninja wire and dragged them back into the village, Naruto using a Kage Bunshin to take Sasuke back to Tazuna's place and keep watch. A few moments saw the group in the middle of the town proper, at a central well that Gatou had banned usage of. Tazuna climbed up to the top of it and cleared his throat.

"EVERYONE! GATHER 'ROUND! I HAVE GREAT NEWS! THE TYRANT GATOU HAS BEEN OVERTHROWN AND HIS ARMY DEFEATED! WE ARE FREE!" The elderly bridge builder announced in his loudest voice to the rapidly gathering crowd.

At first, the crowd was skeptical, but after they presented Gatou himself bound in wire and beaten up by a small band of shinobi, the crowd erupted into cheers and jubilation as they crowded around the former despot, eager for justice.

Kakashi and Zabuza both escorted a bound and gagged Gatou before the crowd and kicked him into it to allow them to have their revenge for all of the pain, suffering, and terror he put them through. They kicked, punched and stomped him for every man, woman, and child he either raped, murdered, or sold into slavery. When they were done, they took him to the defunct jail that he had banned when he took over and threw him into a cell to await transport to the capital for his trial and possible execution.

_**TWO WEEKS LATER**_

Two weeks saw the completion of Tazuna's bridge with no resistance and twice the help due to the threat of Gatou having been removed. The atmosphere had already improved for the better. People weren't afraid to step outside anymore or under the threat of Gatou's thugs taking their women and children away. The ninja had found Gatou's assets and liquid funds, dividing the cash among the populace of the town and giving the ninja their pay.

Kakashi had offered to report that Zabuza and his apprentice had died at the bridge but the body was lost at sea, giving the reformed Kijin no Kiri and his adopted daughter a new chance at life, which they gladly accepted.

"Thanks. I figure that it's time to stop running and actually live." Zabuza told them.

He was planning on living in Wave under a new name and keeping his Kubikiri under wraps, since it was highly distinguished and well known. If he was living there, no new gangs or thugs would be able to set up shop there and since the Konoha ninja would now have a trade agreement from a grateful Daimyo, Konoha ninja would be in and out, and they were widely feared as some of the best around.

As for Team 7, Sakura and Naruto had a talk about many things. She apologized for how she had treated him for so long. As for her feelings for Sasuke, they were teetering on the edge. A small part of her, the delusional little girl in her, had a death grip on her crush for the brooding boy. The part of her that had grown up and matured was telling her to drop the crush and focus on fixing the damage her crush had caused in her life, starting with Naruto and Kurumi.

A part of her was still envious of Kurumi. It was obvious that she and Naruto cared deeply for one another and were fiercely loyal to one another. She couldn't picture Naruto using Kurumi or herself as a human shield or throwing a tantrum just because someone told him no. She then thought back to when Naruto revealed some of his sad and frightening past. At first, she couldn't believe it but Kakashi himself comfirmed everything to be the truth and that Naruto sugar-coated most of it. Then came his connection to her aunt that she never even knew about. He saw her as his mother on many levels and she cared for Naruto very deeply as well. He had promised to protect her for her aunt's sake and when he thought she was dead, he flipped out on Sasuke, revealing a power she had only seen brief glimpses of but never actually saw in combat. When she saw Naruto fight, it was awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time. The chakra he was exerting felt...angry, demonic. She never would have thought someone as kindhearted as Naruto was holding something so scary. These things only added to the questions she had about her mysterious teammate.

Sasuke had been left tied up and chakra sealed in the basement so that he couldn't escape. His conduct on the bridge was deplorable and not worthy of a Konoha ninja. The only thing that spared him from execution in the field was his clan status, mainly the fact that he was the only member of the clan left in the village. Kakashi had promised that Sasuke would face punishment and a Court Marshal for his crimes, but Kakashi himself was skeptical at best about the council's ability to be imparital judges. The Shinobi Clan Heads, he could count on to mete out punishment fairly and be impartial since they have experience in the field and know how things are supposed to go and work, but they were woefully out numbered. When the Yondaime was in power, the Civilian Council had no say whatsoever in ninja matters, but the havoc the Kyuubi attack caused gave the conniving Civilian council the opening they needed to assert themselves and give themselves more power.

Finally, the time to bid farewell had come. The Konoha ninja had helped set Wave free and they still needed a name for the bridge. They decided to name it the Great Naruto Bridge, in honor of the boy who overcame everything and inspired a nation to do the same.

_**ELSEWHERE...**_

"Magnificent...This is what is known as a Steel Angel, is it Kabuto?" A snake-like man with a silky voice asked of a man with silver hair and glasses. He was referring to a pod which held an attractive girl in her late teens with dark brown hair and a white gown, deep in slumber.

"Indeed it is, Lord Orochimaru. Legend has it that they possess great power and were created to fight demons." Kabuto answered.

The Snake Sannin gave a sickening smile. "Do you know how to activate her?"

"Not yet, but I have some ideas as to how to do it." Kabuto replied, a smirk forming on his features as well as he adjusted his glasses.

"Good. See to it that this is your primary project. I want her up and running within the week." Orochimaru ordered as he walked off.

_'Soon...Konoha will burn for chosing that blond upstart of ME.'_ He thought as he walked off.

_**ELSEWHERE...AGAIN...**_

Nine shadows were gathered around a central pod. Inside of the pod was a young girl of at least 13 years of age. She had short blond hair that stuck up in the back in a manner that almost reminded one of the nine of a family member. Adorning her forehead was a strange jewel-like triangle. She also wore a gown of pure white satin cloth, deep in a dreamless sleep.

_**"Can she be activated?" **_A distorted voice asked.

_**"I believe so. However, it will take time."**_ Another answered.

_**"Heh...I hope this thing is as strong as the legends say." **_ Another scoffed.

_**"Hush, Kisame. Lord Pein knows what he is doing."**_ A female voice chided.

_**"Enough. She will be the key to obtaining our goal. She will be one of God's Angels, my Harbinger. As for the rest of you, we will gather at the Gedo Mazo and pour all that he have into her activation. I have spoken."**_ Pein declared as the shadows faded away.

_ A/N: FINALLY! The next chapter of A Fox's Angel is done and ready for the public. Once again, I'm really sorry that this took so long to publish. I've had a lot of things going on as of late._

_ Okay! Sakura is on the mend with Naruto, Sasuke is still a little freak, Zabuza and Haku have turned good, Gatou is getting what he REALLY deserves, and the other two Steel Angels have been found. But that's not a good thing, due to WHO found them._

_ As always, Read and Review, or Kurumi will knock your block off with her Anti-Hentai Punch!_


	8. Coming Home, Family Revealed

_Aloha, everybody! 'De next chapter be comin' at 'cha now!_

_*Ahem* Sorry 'bout that...Next chapter's here and ready for your viewing pleasure. The team has finally made it back home and Sasuke has a lot to answer for. Also, more truths will be coming to light VERY soon._

_**KONOHA MAIN GATES**_

"Whew! It's good to be back home again!" Naruto sighed loudly as they passed through the checkpoint at the gate.

"Hey Naruto, Kurumi! You guys are finally back, eh? How'd the mission go?" Kotetsu, one of the two "Eternal Chuunin" called out, his nearly attached at the hip buddy Izumo right behind him.

"Well..." Kakashi answered, fielding the response for this one. He told them the basic jist of what happened out there in Wave, like how the mission was upgraded to an A-Rank due to the client lying to them, but also the reasons why. The pair then asked why Sasuke was bound and gagged like a prisoner and that was explained by Sakura, who was still pretty pissed at Sasuke for it.

"Yeowch...Man, that sounded like a pretty crazy mission. Well, I'd better not hold you guys up. Good luck with the Uchiha brat. I'll keep my fingers crossed that they actually DO something." Izumo called out to them as they proceeded on toward Hokage Tower.

Along the way, they were receiving death glares from the main populace due to how their so-called prince was being handled, with one fan-girl kunoichi marching up to Kakashi and being brazen enough to demand his release. She was promptly given a free ticket on Kurumi Airlines and what was left of Team Kakashi proceeded on their way to see their leader about their mission and its results.

_**HOKAGE TOWER**_

The climb up the tower was filled with mixed reactions, like out in the village streets. Many of the older shinobi knew that when another shinobi was brought back bound, he or she usually did something extremely stupid, like betray their team. The punishment for such an offense in the middle of a higher ranked mission was usually pretty severe, such as a long prison term plus hard labor with your chakra sealed, or even death. However, the offender in question was the Uchiha heir and they knew the council had this nasty habit of pandering to the clans, mainly the Uchiha in the past few years. There might not be ANY punishment and if there was one, it would be slight to non-existent.

On the other hand, we have the civilian side of the equation. Nearly all of the civilian officials they passed were pissed beyond all belief. Some of them were threatening Kakashi's career, his team's safety, and as usual, Naruto's life. They simply didn't understand what being a shinobi was all about. It was about loyalty to one's teammates and more importantly, to the village and their leader, not to the council like they seemed to believed. Sarutobi had been steadily pushing the council back while reclaiming more of his former authority, making the village politics more like it was back when he was younger and during the Yondaime's short, but prosperous reign, which really pissed off the elitist types.

Yep...this FUCKED UP witch's brew that is the Uchiha situation was as volatile as a barrel of Nitro Glycerin thrown down the stairwells of the Empire State Building and ANYTHING could happen. The Elders really made a mess of things when they decided to spoil Sasuke stupid.

Finally, they entered Sarutobi's office after the secretary ushered them in hastily, seeing how urgent the situation was.

"Go...quickly, now! Hurry!" She urged, seeing how upset many people were getting.

"Oh boy...This can't be good." The old Hokage muttered upon seeing Sasuke tied up and gagged.

"I can't WAIT to hear what happened." Sarutobi told them as they launched into their explaination of just what the hell happened out there.

They each took turns describing the events that came up. He was proud of how Naruto and Kurumi handled the Demon Brothers and the teamwork they displayed. He chuckled when Kakashi told him about how Kurumi handled the infamous Demon of the Mist by nearly belting him into the next Zip Code and co-opted his famous sword, the Kubikiri. Next came the explanation of Sasuke's and Sakura's discipline problems to which Sakura admitted shamefully. Sarutobi was kind of sore about that but could tell that at least she had seen the error of her ways. Then there was the battle at the bridge where Sakura had her...enlightening moment, which made Sarutobi tremble with anger. He was proud of how Sakura turned around and helped to put down the remaining thugs and mercs and of how Team 7 gave the people of Wave true justice by allowing them to be the ones to punish Gatou.

"I must say that all in all Team 7, with the exception of Sasuke Uchiha, accomplished a mission that even an ANBU strike team would have had some difficulty with. I am truly proud of you and Sakura I am pleased with how you handled what happened to you." Sarutobi commended.

"It wasn't easy, Hokage-sama. That much I'll tell you. I wasted so many years on him and I feel like such a colossal idiot." The younger pink haired girl sighed in self disgust.

"Excuse me, Hokage-sama...How will we handle Sasuke's misconduct?" Kakashi asked.

"This is a tricky situation, since many who are high on the council still bend to the whims of the Uchiha clan. As you know, I will do all that I can to advocate an appropriate punishment for his reprehensible conduct while on a dangerous mission, but sadly...My power over the council is weak at best." The old Hokage lamented.

"But...WHY? You're the Hokage! This is YOUR village!" Naruto exclaimed, Sakura and Kurumi nodding in agreement.

"If it were only so, children...Sakura...I assume that Naruto has told you of his prisoner?" Sarutobi asked.

"Prisoner?" She asked in puzzlement, making the old Hokage realise his mistake.

"It's okay, jiji...I'll tell her myself, right now." Naruto spoke up. Sarutobi gave him a questioning glance but backed down when he saw that Naruto wanted to do it, here and now while the Hokage and Kakashi were there to help explain or if things went south.

Naruto told her everything save for the conversations that he'd been having with the beast and recanted all of the horrible things that she'd heard of his life from he himself before, with Kakashi and the Hokage himself confirming it with shame in their eyes.

"Sakura...Your aunt, she wanted to adopt Naruto, too. She was the one who delivered Naruto the night he was born into this world and was one of the only surviving staff that worked in the maternity ward that night. She knew full well of what we just told you, and she still fought the council tooth and nail over the issue. Now, what are your views, my dear?" Sarutobi asked.

Two sides were warring within the pink haired girl. One side wanted to scream Demon and run, but her more rational side saw the boy for what he really was. He was kind to a fault and still protected her even though she was nothing but nasty to him and Kurumi. When he thought she had died, he freaked out and nearly killed Sasuke, only halting when she called out to him. She was also thinking back to her talks with him and Kurumi in the way back and after the Bridge incident and the level of civility they had reached. She was on her way to repairing her life and these two were help her along that path. Her mind was made up.

"He's not a demon. A knucklehead at times..." She giggled lightly at the pout Naruto had on his face. "...but not a demon. That much I know." She answered.

_'Good girl...Maybe she did inheirit something from her aunt, after all.'_ Sarutobi thought with a grin.

"Good...You have just proven that you are more intelligent than most of this village and a few of the clans. He is the jailor of the beast, nothing more." Sarutobi told her.

"But why is his chakra sometimes red?" She asked, to which Kakashi jumped in.

"The seal was designed in such a way so that Naruto would be able to access it at will over time. As he gets older and trains with it more, the more power he will have at his command. This is why small jutsu like the regular Bunshin are beyond him, but the Kage Bunshin is perfect for him since he has, in theory, a nearly unlimited chakra supply. Like I explained back in Wave, his capacity is simply far too large for that kind of control at such a young age. Just being able to do the Tree Walking exercise is a huge feat for him." Kakashi explained. Sakura nodded her head in understanding as many of her questions were answered in just that one dialogue. However, she had more questions still. Not about Naruto this time, but about herself. Her aunt refused to divulge very many things about her real parents and in a way, she was like her teammate and he could have grown up as a sibling to her if her aunt had gotten her way.

"I'm sorry, my dear...But you need to ask your aunt. I cannot get invovled in this." The old Hokage told her cryptically.

_**KONOHA STREETS**_

Taking what she could get, Team 7 left Sasuke with the ANBU to take to lock up and left the tower with their pay for the mission and went to get something to eat at the nearest BBQ place, where they ran into another team already inside, Team 10. They were inside as part of their normal tradition of bribing Chouji into training and Asuma just holding up his end of the bargin. The bearded chain-smoker was just glad that all of the restaurants in Konoha had an_ "Akimichi"_ clause, meaning that they could cut them off to stave of customer bankruptcy and depletion of stock.

As they took their seats and ordered, another of Konoha's few blonds saw them out of the corner of her eye and sauntered up to them.

"Hey there forehead...I haven't seen you seen you since Team Formation day!" Ino called out.

"Oh...Hello Ino." Sakura deadpanned. She REALLY didn't feel like dealing with her now former rival right now, as she had way too much on her mind.

"MY team just got back from a C-Rank to the Fire Capitol! What did YOUR team just do? Weed a garden? I swear, they should just give Sasuke-kun the better missions and just leave you and Naruto-baka behind. Maybe I could be his teammate, since I'VE been on higher ranked missions than YOU." Ino taunted.

"Fine...You can have him. That is if you want him to use YOU as a human shield..." Sakura muttered.

"What do you mean by THAT, forehead? Your huge forehead makes a perfect target, so I can't blame him!" Ino shot back, only to be cut off by a vicious snarl from Naruto.

"What did you say?" Naruto growled in a deep, dangerous tone, Kakashi and a new girl also fixing the blond girl with a disapproving scowl.

"What? What did I say?" Ino asked, not really knowing that what she said struck a very sensitive nerve with Team 7.

"That jerk Sasuke DID use her as a human shield! Leave my friend alone!" Kurumi piped up in Sakura's defense, standing up.

"Psh...Yeah right...I know you have this wierd crush in forehead, but Sasuke-kun would NEVER do something THAT underhanded..."

"Sakura-chan nearly DIED because of that traitor! Leave us ALONE!" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs, getting the attention of Team 10.

"What's going on here?" Asuma asked.

"Well, we just got back from a mission in Wave and it didn't really go as planned. We fought four missing-nin, one of them was Momochi Zabuza." Kakashi told Asuma, who let out an impressed whistle.

"Man, the fact that you guys are here and in one piece means that your mission was a success. That must have been A-Rank at least." Asuma replied.

Ino's eyes widened at the mention of an A-Rank mission. "What? No WAY Forehead girl and the baka supreme here could have done that! Sasuke-kun must have..." Ino ranted again until Naruto finally snapped. But before he could say or do anything, her sensei stepped in, seeing his anger nearly boil over.

"INO!" Asuma yelled, getting her to fall silent.

"Uchiha-_teme_ didn't contribute much to this mission, Yamanaka-san. He nearly got us all killed, especially Sakura-chan. He deliberately let a missing-nin strike a near fatal blow and then used her near dead body as a human shield. I SHOULD have just killed him on the spot." Naruto growled, his rage mounting again.

"HA! As if a baka like you could take on Sas..." Ino started again until a backhand that knocked her to the ground halted her rant. After the stinging in her cheek went down, she was staring into the green eyes of her former best friend.

"Naruto-kun DID defeat him and nearly killed him, for MY sake. He did it to avenge me because he thought I was dead, even though I was no better than a monster toward him. The blow that should have killed me only put me into a death-like state, but that was because Haku-san wasn't a killer by nature. She let me live when Sasuke-TEME would have let me die. I WON'T let you talk down to Naruto like that EVER again." Sakura snarled as she stomped over to the taller pink haired girl who threw an arm around her, her teammate and sensei doing the same.

Ino was in complete shock. This threw her views into a maelstrom of doubt. _'Wh-What the hell happened out there? If their sensei is saying this is all true, then...'_ Her thoughts were cut off there as Asuma hefted her up to her feet.

"I think we should all go home, now." He told Team 10.

Shikamaru and Chouji could only stand there and nod dumbly after what just happened. It was quite a bomb to drop, one of their classmates committing such a horrible act of betrayal, but Shikamaru wasn't fully surprized. He knew that the selfish Uchiha WAS capable of such an act if his life were on the line and Sakura's actions and words afterwards were completely understandable. It was Naruto's reactions and sudden fury that really shocked him. He, the Dobe, owned the Rookie of the Year and had his life in his hands.

_'Just how much has he changed? Troublesome just thinking about it...'_ The lazy Genin muttered in his mind as he and Chouji left for home, Asuma escorting a dazed Ino out of the restaurant.

The rest of the restaurant goers all had their gazes fixed on Team7, making them a bit edgy.

"What the hell are you all looking at?" Sakura yelled at them as their food arrived.

"Keep it coming." Kakashi asked the waitress as they all dug into the meal like there was no tomorrow, especially Sakura. She had been starving herself on her asinine diets for so long, that it was stunting her growth and keeping her from gaining badly needed muscle.

Kurumi was eating right along with them, since the vitamins and minerals in the food acted as a power source for her android body to further simulate her humanity, along with power derived from sunlight via her skin, as Naruto and Kakasho were briefed about her via the Forbidden Scroll. Since she used up power at an insane rate while in combat, she could eat as much as three Akimichi, which was hiking up the bill quite a bit, as if Naruto's appetite alone wasn't bad enough and even Kakashi's own appitite when he felt like it. Nope, good food was considered a balm on Team 7's recent wounds and the events of a few moments ago just drew them even closer together in the aftermath of Sasuke's dirty deed.

"The total is 3,234 Ryou." The waitress told them, leaving them the bill for their meal. It was quite a large bill that would have made most people cringe, but they merely shrugged before they pulled out their wallets and divded the tab between themselves. The A-Rank mission payed them quite handsomely and since Sasuke's take was forfeit, it was split between the remaining members of the team. That meant that this tab was mere chump change in light of the payoff they received.

Team 7 rolled themselves out onto the streets, stuffed to the brim and a little happier for it.

"I think I'll just walk this off...see you kids in a couple of days at the usual spot." Kakashi told them as he waddled away towards his place, whistling an odd tune.

"Hey, wanna come by my place and say hi to Auntie? I think she's off today." Sakura suggested.

"Yeah...Auntie Haruna is soo nice..." Kurumi sighed.

"Yeah...Let's go see her and tell her what happened. She'll need to know, anyway." Naruto told them as they headed off in the direction of the Haruno residence.

_**HARUNO RESIDENCE**_

Haruna had just gotten home from the grocers and from being informed by the Hokage himself of the mission results. She seethed with anger at what Sasuke had the audacity to pull, but was proud of Naruto for doing what he did, of Kurumi for doing such an excellent job out there and or comforting Sakura, and finally Sakura herself for using this...debacle to help her mature and pull away from the crush that nearly ruined her life and almost ended it.

_**FLASH BACK**_

_"You wanted talk with me, Hokage-sama?" Haruna asked._

_"Yes...Please have a seat. I have much to tell you, Haruna. Now, Team 7 had just returned from their mission from Wave, but it went horribly wrong and it wound up becoming an A-Ranked mission. Don't worry, they all came back in one piece and better for it." Sarutobi told her as he explained all that happened. _

_Haruna was rightly pissed off that the Uchiha would have allowed her niece to be killed before his eyes and not lift a finger to help, then to use her body as a human shield. She was thankful, however, that this Haku girl did not aim to kill, only to incapacitate. Haku seemed just as furious with Sasuke's actions as Naruto and Kakashi were. Even the feared Zabuza was disgusted with his methods. She was even happier that Naruto and Sakura had befriended each other, with Kurumi offering her friendship as well. She was miffed about the fact that the council would use their influence to get Sasuke off the hook, but happy that Sakura's Uchiha affliction was now gone. She wanted to see him fry just as badly as the rest of her team and sensei. What happened later on in the office when they debriefed him, however, caught her attention._

_"You told her to ask me about her mother? That will include Naruto-chan's past, as well. Their origins are intertwined with one another and they would have grown up as siblings had I been allowed to take him in. He already sees me as a mother, but I would never dare to take what should have been Kushina's place in his heart." Haruna declared. _

_Kushina was like a sister to her, the sister her own twin never was. Minato was like an brother to her and doted and teased her like one and she adored them both. When she heard that Kushina was pregnant, she was overjoyed, even more so that she was named as Naruto's Godmother, with Hibana Hyuuga and Tsunade named as second just in case._

_"I never said that, Haruna. But the fact remains that he does see you as that, his mother in all but blood. If you want to tell him about his parents when you tell Sakura about hers...you have my authorization to do so. You have more than earned this right since I do not know when Jiraiya will even return. Just...impress upon them how important it is to keep this information hidden." Sarutobi informed and warned._

_"I take that Kakashi-kun knows?" She asked._

_"Yes. He knew from the start and he stepped forward to be his Jounin sensei." Sarutobi told her._

_"Okay...I'll do it. Tonight." She told the aged leader as she spun around and headed for the door. Before she opened it, she turned again._

_"I still haven't forgiven Taro's family for how they abandoned Sakura at the first sign of trouble. The Utatane clan has been the cause for much of my heartache, almost as much as the accursed Uchiha. Jiraiya will have much to answer for if I ever see that perverted low life again. Tsunade will have the same waiting for her should she even return." Haruna spat out as she left the office for home._

_"Please...Gods above us...Help them to weather the storm that is brewing on the horizon..." Sarutobi prayed silently, cursing his weakness._

_**FLASHBACK END**_

_'Naruto-chan, Sakura-chan, Kurumi-chan...Come home to me...'_ She thought.

She knew better than most how some C-Ranks or just lower ranked missions in general could go awry and wind up as higher ranked missions on th fly, like what happened to her team before she was saved by Minato and Kushina. They were on a low level mission in neutral territory when an Iwa heavy combat team showed up and wiped them out. She couldn't bear the thought for losing her remaining loved ones _**(Yes...Kurumi has been added to her list of loved ones...)**_, especially after Naruto made his promise to her, that he would protect Sakura with his life if he had to, just so she wouldn't lose the last remaining member of her family. She knew Naruto would go to the ends of the earth to fulfull his promises and that worried her. She knew it was because he not only trusted her, but loved her as if she were a mother to him, having never known his own.

Shaken out of her thoughts by the door opening, she went to investigate who just walked in to find the ones she was worried about, safe and sound. She rushed up and snagged Naruto and Sakura in a massive hug.

"Thank God...You're all okay. I was told of what happened by Hokage-sama and I was so worried...I just had to see for myself." The woman told them, tears running down her face. She quickly released them and ushered them inside, to hear more of what happened out there. She heard more of the details of the mission and she did find herself slightly disappointed in Sakura for her actions before the Bridge incident, but was glad that Sakura had redeemed herself. She professed that she knew of the Kyuubi now, but still saw him as a loveable knucklehead with a big heart and a boat load of patience.

"You don't know how happy I am that you accepted Naruto-chan's burden, my dear. Because of his burden, the council had forbidden anyone from adopting him." Haruna recapped.

Sakura nodded, but remembered the questions that still nagged at her.

"Auntie...About my mom and dad...What can you tell me about them?" She asked, determined to get an answer. She had never really been told about them, but to her own embarrassment, she never really thought to ask until recently, with all of these things about her mysterious teammate popping up and they seemed to connect with her family somehow.

"Are you sure that you want to know? Right now, with Naruto-chan and Kurumi-chan here? Once I begin, I will not sugar coat anything. You deserve to know the full truth, no matter how unpleasant." Haruna asked.

"I'm sure. I know that I can trust them with anything, even my darkest secrets and my life." Sakura answered, bolstering herself for what she may learn. From the way her Aunt put it, it sounded like it was pretty bad.

Haruna seemed pleased with the answer she was given and she began to tell the tale of her twin sister, Harumi Haruno.

"Well, Harumi, my twin sister and your mother Sakura...was just like you when you were in the Academy. She was...very vain and shallow. You see, she was always after fame and fortune to the exclusion of all else. She even shut me out after a while. There was a boy who crushed on her from the beginning, Naruto's father. He was head over heels for her, much the same way Naruto was for you, but she sneered at his attempts and enjoyed rubbing his face in the dirt. Naruto's own father was a orphan, too, and she held that against him. His father was one of the kindest people I ever knew, and she enjoyed grinding her heel into him." Haruna explained.

Sakura found herself feeling ill. She was actually related to this...person and to make things worse, she was acting just like her before the Bridge. It made her want to vomit, being faced with what she could have turned out to be.

"Your father...was a man named Taro Utatane, the eldest son of one Koharu Utatane, one of the three elders on the council. He was very rich and handsome and had everything she wanted, so she pursued him with reckless abandon. Eventually, she managed to snag him, but she had cut off all ties with the rest of our family to do so, since his clan was so prestigious they wanted nothing to do with us. She was all too happy to do so. He was highly arrogant from his family's authority and wealth, and liked to flaunt it like the Uchiha did. Anyway, fast forward a few years. Minato, Naruto's father met a young woman named Kushina Uzumaki and fell in love with her. If you wondered where Naruto got most of his personality from, look no further. Kushina was a spitfire if I ever saw one." Haruna continued.

"So those were their names? Minato and Kushina?" Naruto asked.

"Yes dear. Your mischievous side comes from her, but she was a beautiful woman, and when she became pregnant with you, that was the happiest I'd ever seen her. Now, soon Minato and Kushina were married. Harumi and Taro were invited, since Minato was a prominent Jounin and the hero of the Iwa/Konoha War, where he earned the nickname the Yellow Flash." Haruna said.

Sakura gasped. Only one person had ever earned that nickname and he was one of the greatest heroes the Leaf had even known.

"I was there at the wedding as one of the bridesmaids. He and Kushina had saved my life when an Iwa Combat team ambushed my medical squad and we grew close. Anyway, Sandaime-sama had an announcement to make before the festivities went any further. He had announced that Minato would succeed him and become the Yondaime Hokage. Harumi turned every color of the rainbow with jealousy, but that didn't stop her from trying to weave her charms on the new groom right in front of his new bride. She had always figured him for a loser that would never amount to anything, but here he was, the new Hokage. Kushina, Hibana Hyuuga, Tsunade of the Sannin, and myself all gave her an earful and told her off, making her storm off in a huff. Mere months later, she was pregnant with you, Sakura and then you came about, with Naruto following along on that tragic night when he lost his parents and took on his horrible burden. Now, little Naruto was left alone. His Godfather, Jiraiya of the Sannin, had left the village along with Tsunade. Hibana was forced to ignore him under the threat of death and I wasn't allowed to adopt him. Harumi despised Kushina for taking what she thought was hers and saw Naruto not only as the demon itself, but as a mocking reminder of everything she missed out on due to her arrogance. She and her husband plotted to kill Naruto when he was only a few days old in his crib while he slept, but were caught by the ANBU the Sandaime, who had taken over again, ordered to protect him. As punishment, they were sentenced to death and executed for their crimes. The Utatane clan stated that since Taro was dead, Sakura was no longer part of the clan and disowned. I had to take up Guardianship of her and leave my kunoichi career behind me, taking up my job in the hospital as a full doctor, along with cleaning up the mess she had left behind her. I'm sorry if this upset you Sakura dear...But you had to know the truth, you too, Naruto." Haruna explained.

The three gathered before her all had tears in their eyes for different reasons. Naruto was happy that he finally knew who his parents were and that they loved him very much, along with the fact that his father was the legendary Yellow Flash. Kurumi was happy for her master, that he finally had some closure.

Sakura, however, felt vile and dirty, despite being of high birth in the village. Her mother had turned out to be a social climbing harlot who just wanted more money and prestige, nothing more. These two sounded like horrible people and if they had raised her, she would have turned out far worse than they were. She never would have met her Aunt, Ino, Kurumi, or Kakashi-sensei, or especially Naruto, who all helped to change her life for the better.

"I feel...so filthy...I was just like them. I was a horrible peron just like those...MONSTERS!" She stammered in anguish as she was embraced by her aunt.

"Even though they bore you, remember that I raised you Sakura-chan, and I love you as if you were my own daughter." Haruna comforted the weeping girl.

"You saw what you did wrong and you're trying to make up for it. You're not like them Sakura-chan." Kurumi added, slipping an arm around her shoulder for comfort.

Haruna smiled at what the Angel had just told her niece. She was truly a credit to her kind and had matured greatly under Naruto's watch.

"Yeah. I mean...You're my teammate and you accepted the Kyuubi inside me, they didn't. That proves right there that you're nothing like them, you were only confused in the beginning and everybody makes mistakes. I learned from the old man that...It's not the mistakes that you make, it's how you fix them and make sure they never happen again." Naruto told her as he hugged her gently, letting her get it all out of her system.

_'Harumi-baka...I am relived to no end that the same foolishness that caused your end died with you. She may have missed out on Naruto-chan's heart, but she is still an important part of his life and she accepts that, along with his burden. She is nothing like you and thank Kami for that.'_ Haruna thought, relief coursing through her.

"I'll go and prepare a couple of beds for Naruto-kun and Kurumi-chan. I'm a little apprehensive about letting you two go back to the apartment after you caused such an uproar earlier." Haruna told them, going upstairs to get the futons ready.

"W-wait a tick...What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"When you all came into the village with their Prince Charmless bound and slung over your sensei's shoulder, the villagers and shinobi that bought into the Uchiha hype have been on the warpath. I wouldn't go back to the apartment alone right now." Haruna explained to them.

"Why would they do that to us? Sasuke is a traitor! Why can't they see that?" Sakura exclaimed.

"Al that I can tell you is that the council has long been the lapdogs of the Uchiha Clan, the Elders along with them. Since Sasuke is the last remaining Uchiha and son of the last Head of the clan, they want to gain his favor by sucking up to him, giving him whatever he desires." Haruna explained.

"Those jerks! I'll just have to beat them up!" Kurumi declared.

"No! That will only make the situation even worse. We just need to wait this out. Until then, you and Naruto are welcome to stay here. Only go back to the apartment during the day, retrieve whatever you need and seal them into storage scrolls, then come back here." The doctor instructed.

"H-Hai..." Naruto acknowledged.

"Good. Now, is anyone still hungry?" She asked, her sudden change from her seriousness startling them a bit.

_**AT THAT MOMENT IN THE MAIN COUNCIL CHAMBERS...**_

Kakashi was dragged from his bed and into the Council's chambers to discuss what had happened during the Wave mission, more specifically the reason behind why the last Uchiha was brought back the way he was. He was standing on the dais, delivering his testimony while Sasuke was standing against the back wall with an arrogant smirk on his face, as if he knew the outcome would be in his favor.

"Kakashi, would you mind telling this council WHY Uchiha-san was bound like a common criminal?" Homura asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I believe that I already covered this in my field report, Elder Mitokado." Kakashi told him and the council.

"Just...enlighten us, Kakashi." Gasho Kitamura, a prominent merchant, growled in annoyance.

"Ahem...I'll just give you the abridged version. In short, Sasuke Uchiha's conduct has been far below the standards set forth for our shinobi forces. He has no concept of teamwork nor in earning anything, believing that he should be given everything simply due to his clan's name. Moreover, he betrayed his comrades in combat when he allowed an enemy nin, who had the opportunity to kill his teammate, Sakura Haruno, to strike what could have been a lethal blow. She was quite lucky that the enemy kunoichi did not intend to kill her and merely put her into a death-like state. He additionally used her body as a shield, believing her to already be deceased. Thankfully, he was dealt with by his other teammate, Naruto Uzumaki, who knocked him out without causing too much harm, and took down the enemy kunoichi while defending the client. From there, regulations state that I SHOULD have executed him in the field, but I believed that dragging him back here for a full Court Martial would be more appropriate." Kakashi stated to the council, stressing the fact that legally, he COULD have terminated the Uchiha there and then as the mission commander for betrayal.

"Now...I believe that this is all circumstantial evidence, conjecture as it were. Uchiha-san was merely trying to bluff his opponent. It is a sad fact that it did not work, but at least the Haruno girl is alive." Homura spoke out.

"It would have been no loss is the girl had died. From her Academy records, she was nothing but a simpering fangirl, good for nothing but breeding. The part I am most worried about is how the De...Uzumaki could have defeated Uchiha-san. He was the Dead Last of his class. The only way he could have done so was if he tapped into the putrid chakra of that _thing_ he hosts. If that is so, I demand that he be exiled before he kills us all! Furthermore, this brush with death has convinced me that it is time that he passes on his genes through his offspring and I have the right candidate for the job." Koharu demanded. She was careful to omit the demon part and she was still stuck on having Kurumi bear strong children for the village.

Also, she knew that Sakura was her blood granddaughter, but never admit to it. She had disowned the girl the moment her parents were killed for trying to murder the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. She wanted no association with them for fear of their conduct reflecting on her standing. Moreover, the old woman feared that all of the hatred and abuse that they visited upon him would be returned many times over if he learned how to harness his powers. On top of that, they feared that he would one day learn about the heritage that they had all but stolen from him and would seek revenge. To her and many on the council, it would be better to just be rid of him now.

"It was wrong of me to use Haruno-san in such a manner. I'm really very sorry." He told the council almost mockingly.

"See? Uchiha-san said that he is regretful of his error in judgement, so we can all just sweep this under the rug and pretend that this didn't happen." Homura coaxed the council, but the Hokage himself was glaring at the blatant miscarriage of justice that his former teammates were trying to pull.

Sarutobi was less than pleased with how the Civilian side of the council was taking this. The Uchiha deserved a stiff punishment for his crime, while the remainder of Team 7 had performed admirably on a very difficult and dangerous mission. Furthermore, it was not the civilian council's place to pass judgement in shinobi matters. That right belonged to the shinobi clans, who have a lifetime of experience in these matters.

"The fate of MY shinobi will be decided by myself and the ninja council. This is a military matter and of no concern to you. Kakashi was actually very generous in bringing him back alive and could have executed him in the field for treason. I trust the judgement of one of my top Jounin and one of our best ANBU Captains to date and hereby determine that Sasuke Uchiha's deplorable conduct is unbecoming of a Konoha shinobi. He is sentenced to 5 years in the Maximum Security Prison without parole. Once he is released, he will never again be allowed to resume his shinobi career, as his chakra and doujutsu will be permanently sealed away. He will, however, be allowed to live as a normal civilian and should any children of his come to possess the Sharingan, they will be closely monitored to ensure that the Uchiha of the past will remain a memory. Finally, all Uchiha Clan grounds will be absorbed by the village and parceled off. Any Uchiha clan jutsu will be placed in our jutsu vault, but I will not begrudge him a keepsake or two of his clan. This meeting is over." Sarutobi declared in his most authoritative voice.

Sasuke's jaw dropped. He always thought that the Hokage was spineless and would cave in if the council put enough pressure on him. Now, he saw his life's ambition burning down to nothing before him. His career was ruined, his chakra and doujutsu would be sealed forever and his clan would lose it's status and fortune. He literally had nothing now.

"HOW COULD YOU SPINELESS LOSERS LET THAT SENILE OLD FART DO THIS TO ME? AN UCHIHA! YOU ALL SHOULD BE BEGGING ME TO FORGIVE YOU!" Sasuke screamed at the council.

Sarutobi stood up and was ready to suppress him when he was tackled by a massive dog and surrounded by a horde of kikai bugs.

"You arrogant little shit...Who do you think you are, ordering around the Hokage like that, boy?" Tsume Inuzuka snarled.

"You forget your place, Uchiha-san. No one clan or person is above the village or the Hokage." Shibi Aburame added.

"Sasuke...I've said it before and I'll say it again. I am deeply disappointed in you. You've brought shame onto the clan of my dearest friend, but now, you will trouble us no longer. I wash my hands of you, Uchiha-san. I can only hope that your time in prison will do something to correct you skewed perception of how the world really works." Kakashi stated as he left the courtroom.

"YOU ALL ARE THE TRAITORS! THIS PATHETIC VILLAGE WOULD BE NOTHING WITHOUT MY CLAN! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Sasuke screamed again as he felt himself lag from the kikai draining so much chakra so quickly. After another moment, he was completely out and Sarutobi signalled his ANBU.

"Take him to the sealing wing of the ANBU lock-up and apply the necessary seals on him. After that, he is to be delivered right to the penitentiary to carry out his sentence." Sarutobi commanded.

This concluded the night for them, but the civilian council looked like they weren't ready to give up so easily, if the scowls on their faces said anything. Sarutobi knew that they would need to be watched for any further treachery, but called it a night.

_**SOMEWHERE IN RICE COUNTRY...**_

Wires and power conduits of all shapes and sizes were strung around the underground base, all leading to one central point. At this central point, Kabuto and Orochimaru were standing next to a lab gurney that held their latest _'toy'_, a Steel Angel that they had discovered deep within the wastelands of Wind Country. They had been feverishly trying to activate her, but had met with failure after failure until Kabuto decided to just up and jump start her, which is why we see all of these lines getting ready to pump God only knows how much juice into her from the hidden base's main power station.

"Are you sure this will work this time, Kabuto?" Orochimaru inquired.

"This is the last viable option that I can see, Lord Orochimaru. I just don't see any other way to activate her." Kabuto replied, sighing.

"She MUST be activated if our plans are to succeed. However, I will _'convince'_ Suna to bring their Jinchuuriki to the Chuunin Exams as a back up plan." The Snake man told his subordinate as he looked her over.

"Throw the switch, Kabuto. I want to see my Angel of Destruction come to life." He commanded maliciously.

"At once, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto complied, kicking the power generators into full swing.

Electricity danced and arched in a crazy ballet of light as parts of the ground and conduit itself began to melt away from the intense heat generated by the extreme voltage coursing through them. All of this energy was being funnelled into the Angel, serving as her wake up call.

Sure enough, her body began to glow a brilliant blue as her gown burned away, her eyes slowly opened and she sat up and looked at them.

"What are your commands, master?" She asked of Orochimaru in a dead tone that one would expect from a zombie.

"My Dark Angel...SHE LIVES! WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Orochimaru screamed to the heavens as he cackled madly, making Kabuto wonder if what little sanity his master had left had gone and jumped ship. He mad laughter died down as he prepared to test out his new toy.

"Arise, my Angel...Do you have a name?" He commanded.

"This unit is called Saki, Master." She toned lifelessly.

"Good then, Saki-chan...We shall get you dressed and test you." He said turing to his assistant.

"Kabuto! Get her outfitted and assemble the test subjects in the arena. I want to see what she can do." He ordered as he whisked away from the lab.

"Well...Follow me then." Kabuto said as he led the nude Angel down the corridors to the base.

Since the massive majority of Oto's forces were male, she was bound to attract attention. One man was ballsy enough to walk right up to her and begin to fondle her...which had some messy results. With one sweep of her arm, she threw him against the wall so hard that his head seemed to explode, making everyone else back away.

_'Incredible...Such strength from a simple movement and she looks like a normal girl. She really is a marvel of lost technology...'_ Kabuto mused as they reached the outfitter and got her the standard Oto kunoichi uniform. Once she was dressed, he ordered the test subjects to be brought to the arena while he and the Angel made their way down there.

A few moments saw everything ready for her live fire testing as the capture subjects were given the authorization to use any means necessary, jutsu included, to take her down.

"The one that defeats her, will be given anything they desire...Money, power, slaves...You only need to take her down. Have at it!" Kabuto commanded the prisoners.

"Go forth, my Angel...Leave none standing." Orochimaru commanded.

"At once, Master." She said simply as she seemed to blur from sight.

She reappeared behind a couple of prisoners, their heads ripped clean off. From there, it was a completely one sided slaughter. Out of over fifty prisoners, some of them Jounin level shinobi, only a small handful were even left in one piece. The rest were ripped completely apart in a matter of moments.

"Magnificent...My Bloody Angel, the one that shall grant my fondest wish, to see every man, woman, and child within that accursed village burnt to cinders while I get what I want...The Uchiha!" Orochimaru laughed madly.

_A/N: And so ends this chapter of A Fox's Angel. Yeah...I did what I did in MY story. I don't like it when the story gets predictable, so I try to add twists to keep my readers reeling, starving to know what will happen next, or what will be revealed. I live for their satisfaction and I don't need ingrates throwing canon events in my face. I KNOW about canon Naruto, but this is fanfiction, dammit. We, the authors, are your tour guides through the fantasy worlds we painstakingly craft for your enjoyment._

_Anyway, Team 7 is under scrutiny from the council due to how they handled Sasuke. He's in a world of shit so deep that even Johnny Cochraine wouldn't be able to sweet talk his ass out of trouble. Sakura has learned the painful truth of her parents and Naruto has learned about his, but this only served to bring them together as a family of sorts. For those who think that Sakura will be in the harem, she won't be, but neither will Hinata. This is strictly Naruto x Steel Angels. Sorry to all of those NaruxHina maniacs out there, as I'm a Hina-chan fan myself __**(She's so damn cute!)**__. _


	9. Trial, Loss, and Discovery

_ Whew...Here we go with the next chapter of A Fox's Angel! We now move on to Sasuke's punishment and the after math from it. Expect total upheaval._

_**AT THE BASE OF THE GEDO MAZO IN AN UNKNOWN LOCATION...**_

In a deep, dark cave far underground, the nine members of the Akatsuki were feverishly pouring their chakra into the Steel Angel, trying to awaken her. This practice had been going for hours and even Kisame, the one with the most chakra, was beginning to tire.

"Dammit...When the hell is this chick gonna wake up?" Kisame whined.

"I know, un...I'm nearly tapped out." Deidara agreed.

"Che...What a pain in the ass..." Hidan griped.

"For once...I agree with the idiot over here." Kakuzu added.

_"I'm beginning to wilt." __**"Too bad we can't just eat her." **_Come on...You know who this is.

"Will you stop complaining like children and keep pushing your chakra into her?" Konan admonished.

"Yes mother..." Itachi grumbled.

Pain kept up a steady flow of chakra into the Steel Angel's body.

_'This has to work...A world without war will be within my grasp...'_ The Akatsuki leader thought.

Suddenly, the girl jerked and grimaced on the dias they had her on. Almost in an instant, the flow of chakra was cut off and the winded members of the Akatsuki were catching their breath. The blond girl sat up and looked around at her surroundings, taking them in. Then...She spoke.

"Where the hell is this? Who the hell are you wierdos and is that a walking plant?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, gesturing to Zetsu.

"Greetings, Angel. I am Pain, the leader of those that have awakened you. We did thus so that you might aid us in our quest." Pain greeted her in a grandiose fashion.

"My name ain't Angel, pal. The name's Karinka and by the way...Don't all those piercings hurt?" She corrected and asked him.

The other members of the group paused for a moment before a few of them sniggered, Pain glaring at them to shut them up.

"Okay then...Karinka...We have awakened you to..." Pain started again until she cut him off with a negligent wave of her hand.

"Yeah, yeah, Quest, right...Now, where am I and when am I?" Karinka requested again, more forcefully this time.

"You are in our secret base and as for when, I do not know what you mean." Konan supplied.

"How can you NOT know what year it is and what's this quest you whackos are on?" The fiesty blond asked.

They all looked around at each other until Pain answered.

"We are working to capture the Nine Bijuu in order to end all wars in these lands." He stated.

"What the hell is a Bijuu?" She asked again.

"They are nine beasts with different amounts of tails according to their rank." Itachi replied.

"Them? Where are they? I have to stop them!" Karinka began to panic.

"Worry not. They are still sleeping, but we wish to capture them and imprison them within this statue." Pain said, gesturing to the Gedo Mazo.

"That's an ugly ass statue...So anyway, they're not out rampaging right now and they're alseep?" She asked.

"...Yes. We require your aid to wrest them from the grasp of the different countries that wish to use their power to wage war and keep them here, away from them." Pain explained.

"Is that all? Sure. Let's do it." Karinka agreed. Dealing with the demons was her primary directive and she hadn't forgotten.

"That was...easy." Itachi said.

"Yeah...I thought we'd at least get a fight out of it." Kisame agreed with his partner.

"You will need a handler, a guide to go with you. Itachi and Kisame will go with you and you will help them subdue the Kyuubi." Pain ordered.

"So...I'm with Emo Pants and the walking sushi buffet? Eh...Could be worse..." Karina shrugged while Hidan guffawed.

"Ha ha! I like this girl! She doesn't hold back!" He jeered while Itachi and Kisame grumbled.

"Like I said...Could be worse. I could have been stuck with the Grim Reaper wannabe and Raggedy Asshole over there." She sniped.

"You little bit...!" Hidan roared in anger before his mouth was clamped shut by a wad of paper.

"Shut up, Hidan. Besides, she's got a point." Konan chuckled a bit.

"Ugh...Itachi, Kisame, Karinka. You three will proceed to Fire Country and retrieve the Kyuubi." Pain ordered as they moved out.

"Come. Let us go." Itachi commanded.

_**KONOHA COURT CHAMBERS**_

_**ONE WEEK AFTER THE RETURN OF TEAM 7**_

The courthouse was packed to standing room only, people anxiously awaiting what they deemed the trial of the century. The village was clearly divided on the matter of WHO was on trial. The one on trial was none other than the village's prince, Sasuke Uchiha. Many of the villagers were on the warpath when he was dragged back to the village, bound and gagged like a common criminal. What had been released to the public was that while on a mission he had been accused of betraying his team and that it was a baseless accusation made by a former fangirl. They were quick to pass this off as a jilted fangirl wanting revenge, but they also heard that he was subdued by the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and that his sensei let it happen. The Civilian Council raised a massive stink over his issue and demanded a trial for Sasuke. Sarutobi, who was sick of hearing them whine, relented and gave them what they wanted.

Some of the younger shinobi bought into the Uchiha hype and took his side, critisizing Kakashi for not protecting their _precious_ Uchiha against the _dangerous_ Kyuubi brat, while many of Sasuke's fangirls were calling Sakura a slut and many other nasty names for turning against their beloved Emo. Ino was present at the trial, but due to what happen a couple of days ago when Sakura and her team returned to the village, she was keeping her mouth shut, especially since her father was on the tribunal and she didn't want to shame him. She knew that he had a job to do.

Many of the more experienced shinobi may not have liked Naruto, but they would _not_ question Kakashi's judgement on this situation. They knew that as shinobi, there was a certain standard that you were expected to uphold and that Kakashi, for all of his eccentricities, was a ferverent believer in loyalty to your teammates. Sasuke betrayed him, betrayed the team, and now he's paying the price, just like all traitors should.

All of the Genin teams were present at the trial, as many of their parents were on the panel and they insisted that they attend to see how traitors and disloyalty would be dealt with

Sarutobi looked over the volatile climate inside the large chamber from the next room with a grim expression. He knew that with this trial and the machinations of his former teammates, there was a very real threat of a civil rift breaking out within the village between the civilians and the shinobi, but serving justice was a greater cause and he had the support of his shinobi on this matter. He slowly stood up and banged his gavel against the stand.

"Order! Come to order!" Sarutobi called out, getting everyone in the room to calm down.

"This court is now is in session. Please rise for our honorable Hokage, Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi." The bailiff, Ibiki Morino ordered as Sarutobi marched into the room, flanked by Inoichi Yamanaka and the ANBU Commander, Tora.

"Please be seated." Sarutobi commanded.

"Please bring in the accused." Ibiki ordered from where he was.

The doors opened to reveal one Sasuke Uchiha, bound in chakra absorbant handcuffs and behind led by the shoulder to the stand. On their way through the crowd, the ANBU escorting him were showered with curses and threats from Sasuke's supporters. A couple of fangirls had to be hauled off to the lock up for obstruction of justice and comtempt.

"Do you solemnly swear to recant nothing but facts and the truth?" Ibiki told him, in a voice that was cold as ice. Sasuke refused to speak at first, so Ibiki repeated himself with a little more authority.

"I asked you a question...Answer it." He said, his cold stare chilling him to the bone.

"I swear." He growled out in defiance.

"Your conduct is being noted, Uchiha-san. You would do well to remember that." Inoichi reprimanded him as they continued.

"When you were on the mission with your squad, can you explain what occured at the bridge?" Shikaku Nara asked, in full business mode.

"Tch...Fine. We left the client's house to guard the old man after the dobe..."

"Please call all of those involved by their names." Shibi Aburame corrected.

"Whatever. We left the client's house to guard the old man after _Naruto_ trained himself out the previous night and Kakashi-_sensei_ decided to let him rest. When we got there, Haruno and myself fought Zabuza's apprentice while Kakashi fought Zabuza himself. Haku tried to take Haruno hostage and I tried to call her bluff, but it looked like she killed her anyway. While I thought that she was dead, I used her body to shield myself from attacks, but Naruto got in the way and attacked me without warning. He had some kind of evil chakra and looked like a beast." Sasuke told them, causing many of the civilians to start shouting in outrage before Sarutobi's fearsome Ki cowed them into silence so that the trial could continue.

"Are you sure about that?" Hiashi Hyuuga asked, his eyebrows arched.

"Why would I lie?" Sasuke replied coolly.

"Please send in the victim and witnesses." Sarutobi ordered.

Through the doors, came Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, and Kurumi. Kurumi wasn't an official ninja, so she had to sit in the gallery next to Haruna while they took the stand. They were assailed by strings of violent curses and death threats from many, while the more senior shinobi gave them looks of understanding and tried to keep them at bay.

"Do you solemnly swear to recant nothing but facts and the truth?" Ibiki asked of them.

"Hai...We do." All three of them said at the same time.

"Now...We will start with Sakura-san..." Inoichi said as he asked her to recant what she knew and what happened to her. She told them everything, including her treatment of her teammate until the bridge incident changed her view of him.

"Now...You stated that when Naruto-san believed you to be dead and that once Uchiha-san gloated about what happened, he then went into a rage, trying to bring down a traitor and trying to protect the client at the same time. Then, when he was in the midst of the rage, your calling out to him snapped him out of it?" Inoichi stated.

"Hai...Even though I was so mean and nasty to him, he still cared enough to try to avenge me and try to protect me." Sakura admitted.

"The whore lies! Uchiha-sama is too noble to do that!" A woman screamed before she was dragged from the courtroom.

"Sounds like he regarded you as an important person in his life and that he took his being your teammate seriously. Kakashi...What do you have to offer?" Tsume Inuzuka said.

"Yes...The entire way, Naruto showed exemplary teamwork as well as willingness to work with his teammates. Sakura came along later on into the mission, after the bridge incident as stated by her." Kakashi comfirmed her story.

"Naruto-san...Do you have anything to say in your defense for utilizing your..._special_ power?" Ibiki asked.

"No...Nothing other than trying to protect my precious people, my team. I promised Sakura-san's aunt that I would protect her even at the cost of my own life and when I saw her and thought she was dead, when I heard..._him_ brag about what he did, he had to pay at all costs. I still protected our client and after he went down, we went on to complete the mission like Kakashi-sensei said." Naruto explained.

Some of the more hysterical people began to wail and rant that he was too dangerous to keep alive and had to be killed before he killed them all, but a surprizing person stood to reprimand them, Haruna.

"SHUT UP! Listen to yourselves! Do you hear this madness that you're shouting? If he really was the demon you all think his is, we would all be dead by now! Haven't all of you mindless sheep thought about that? Haven't you all learned to think for yourselves? He is possibly of the most loving person I have ever known, despite all of the hate and fear that you have burdened him with!" She raged at them in response.

Her heated words seemed to strike a chord with a few of the people, who looked down in shame. Those people began to really ponder her words. A demon would have let the girl die and not care for her, but Naruto, from their accounts, was heartbroken when he thought her to be dead and turned his wrath on the one that would have let her die. He simply did what any of them would have done in his situation, something they couldn't fault him for.

"That's enough! Everyone settle down!" Sarutobi roared, the crowd falling silent once again so the trial could continue.

"Now, I would like our mental specialist, Inoichi Yamanaka, to take the stand to present what he could find from investigating the memories of the witnesses and the accused, using the memory crystal so that we can all see for ourselves." The Hokage ordered.

"Hai, Lord Hokage." Inoichi said as he stood up.

"Now, as per regulations, I have examined the memories of those involved and have this visual evidence to present. Now, bear in mind that these memories have NOT been tampered with and are in their original state." He told the crowd as he turned to the memory crystal and performed a small series of handseals.

_**SHINSHIN NO MEI! (MIND'S EYE)**_

The crystal began to glow white for a moment, then it began to project the memories of all those involved for all to see...

_**FLASHBACK!**_

_"Hmph. You look weak. I want a challange." Sasuke sneered, crossing his arms arrogantly._

_"Be careful what you wish for, Uchiha-san..." She chided as she blurred from sight, only to reappear next to Sakura, senbon to her throat._

_"You just might get it." She finished._

_"Che...She's just a useless fangirl. I won't shed any tears over her." Sasuke scoffed, to Sakura's horror._

_"S-Sasuke-k-kun?" She whimpered. He was going to let her die? Her life flashed before her eyes, especially back to all of the times she chased after Sasuke. She felt foolish for all that she had done and sacrificed for the selfish boy's attention. That also brought to mind her Aunt's warnings about people like Sasuke and the Uchiha in general._

_'Auntie Haruna...I so sorry that I didn't listen to you...' She sobbed inwardly._

_This also brought up how badly she treated Naruto over the years she'd known him. He was always being nice to her and trying to buck her up, but her obsession with Sasuke made her blind to it. Then, when Kurumi appeared and grabbed Naruto's attention from her, she was jealous but had no right to be. Her Aunt was right on the money as usual about missing out on something wonderful._

_'And now...I'll never get to find out. Naruto...I'm so sorry. I hope that you and Kurumi will forgive me some day...' She sobbed once again as she braced for death._

_Haku couldn't believe what she had heard from the Uchiha prodigy. He was willing to sacrifice his teammate, to let her die in front of him! Such arrogance and selfishness made her blood boil. She didn't want to kill the girl in the first place, so she put her in a death like state from whcih she could be revived by plunging a trio of needles into her neck, setting her down gently._

_"Hn...Good, one nuisance out of the way. I just wish that Dobe Naruto was here so that you could kill him, too. Then, his wench will have no choice but to spread her legs for me." He laughed darkly._

_Tazuna was sick to his stomach at what Sasuke had done. He let her die and even laughed about it. "That little punk will have hell to pay if we get out of this..." He growled in anger as he took cover._

_"Shall we fight, Uchiha-san?" She asked, palming more needles._

_Back at the house, Naruto got a chill up his spine and the cup that had his tea in it cracked. He normally wasn't a superstitious person, but he had a bad feeling something bad happened at the bridge. Kurumi and Tsunami saw his face and asked if he was alright._

_"Y-yeah...I'm fine." He answered them, more to calm himself than anything else._

_Tsunami bought it, but Kurumi knew him too well. She knows that he is a master at masking his pain and discomfort._

_"Master...something happened, right?" She asked._

_Before Naruto could answer, he heard a scream from the front door. He and Kurumi raced out to find that Tsunami and Inari had been captured by two of Gatou's thugs and were still trying to struggle._

_The two thugs noticed the pair and scoffed._

_"Heh...THIS is what Zabuza was so worried about? Some wench and a shrimp?" The one with an eyepatch sneered._

_"Hmm...I wouldn't mind dominating this sweet little number...She's certainly more built than that scrawny little girl Zabuza's probably killed by now on the bridge." The second leered at Kurumi, making Naruto's hackles rise. His addition only served to increase Naruto's fears. Sakura may not be in his good graces anymore, he certainly would not let a fellow Konoha shinobi die if he could help it. He owed it to Haruna to make sure Sakura came back safely._

_Before either one could make a move, they were both taken out in a near instant and both Steel Angel and Master hit them both at the same time, making sure they were sent to Hell for what they had done and were about to do._

_"Kurumi, let's go. They need us at the bridge...It feels like something went wrong, really wrong." Naruto told her, his voice shaking._

_With only a nod, she lept off after him, bound for the bridge._

_Back at the bridge, Zabuza was doing well for himself despite not having his Kubikiri with him. He was managing to at least keep Kakashi at bay while Haku was picking the Uchiha kid apart. Although, the kid's tactics left a bad taste in his mouth and it was obvious that Kakashi wasn't too pleased with it, either._

_'He just stood there while Sakura was slain and even encouraged it! He will have much to answer for...' Kakashi snarled inwardly as he and Zabuza clashed once again._

_Haku had already called out her Makyo Hyousho, peppering Sasuke with multiple senbon while flying from mirror to mirror. Sasuke was helpless even though he had finally accessed his Sharingan, the Ice Maiden was still too fast for his vaunted eyes to track. Finally, he got tired of getting tagged and ran over to Sakura's still body and hefted her up into a makeshift shield._

_Haku's eyes widened in surprize, then narrowed in rage. This was the ultimate dishonor to his teammate, even if she wasn't completely dead._

_"How low will you sink, Uchiha? What right have you do you think you have to do such a thing to your own teammate?" Haku yelled through her mask until a massive burst of Ki exploded from the end of the bridge. Naruto had just shown up and heard what happened. And he wasn't happy at all._

_'No...Haruna-Obasan...I'm so sorry...' He thought as he tried to fight back his tears. His rage was rushing to the forefront and along with it, the Kyuubi's chakra._

_"Kurumi-chan...protect the old man." He told her, his voice laden with both sadness and authority._

_Kurumi wanted to fight alongside her master, but obeyed his command loyally. She could tell that her master wanted to deal with this personally. Sakura may not have been the nicest person to them, but she was a teammate and that as what Naruto and Kakashi-sensei had taught to them. She had come to take Kakashi at his word since Naruto looked to him for guidance and wisdom, addressing him as sensei as well._

_**"What the HELL is going on here?"**__ Naruto asked, his voice taking on a demonic timbre._

_Haku looked down in shame as she lifted her mask to let Naruto see her face. She had tears in running down her beautiful face. Sasuke, who was holding up Sakura as a human shield, held a cocky smirk. His new arrogance was bolstered by the fact that he now had his Sharingan at his disposal._

_"Naruto...I can explain..." Haku tried to say, but was cut off by Sasuke._

_"This fangirl finally came in useful as my shield. She should be proud that she helped the Uchiha survive long enough to procreate. I might as well take this one. She looks like she could bear some strong children. Dobe, hurry up and help me subdue her and I'll let you watch as I take your woman into my bed. It's the least I could you for a common loser like you." He sneered._

_Sasuke's answer was an explosion of blood red chakra that washed over the entire bridge, a wave of dread and malice following it._

_**"Sasuke...you bastard. How DARE you use her as a shield?"**__ He roared in rage as he lept at the arrogant Uchiha in a flash._

_Sasuke wasn't expecting this to happen, so he held Sakura in front of him to absorb the blow again, but he suddenly felt her weight vanish. Looking around, he saw Naruto, his chakra tail swaying behind him like a living appendage, gently lay her down next to his companion and asking her to keep guard._

_Nearby, Kakashi and Zabuza stopped fighting when they felt the monsterous energy saturate the air around them, looking for the source._

_"No...Naruto..." Kakashi murmured._

_Zabuza caught that. "You mean...That blond kid is a Jinchuuriki?"_

_"Yes. He is the container of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Kakashi answered solemnly as he jumped off._

_"That chakra's coming from where Haku is...HAKU!" Zabuza realized as he followed Kakashi._

_Kakashi and Zabuza landed just to the side of Kurumi, who was trying and failing to bring Sakura back around._

_"Sensei! I don't know what's wrong with her!" Kurumi cried as Zabuza looked over the wounds._

_"This looks like Haku's work. Don't worry, Ojou-chan. This is non-lethal. That girl is only sleeping." He told the fretting angel as he called Haku over to remove the needles. Almost instantly, Sakura was stirring again._

_"Uhhnnn...What? I'm...not dead?" She asked._

_"Sakura...what happened out there? Why are Naruto and Sasuke fighting?" Kakashi asked._

_"S-S-Sasuke-k...Sasuke...Was going to let that girl...kill me..." Was all Sakura could choke out before crying, Kurumi offering her shoulder as support as she rubbed the younger girl's back comfortingly._

_"Don't worry. Haku didn't want to kill you or you'd be dead by now. She only put you to sleep for a little while." Zabuza explained._

_Kurumi took over and filled in the gaps of the story, Tazuna and Haku backing her up. Kakashi was filled with rage at what the 'last' Uchiha had pulled. This was considered treason and punishable by death, but he would have to take him back to be tried by Court Marshal first. His next thought went to why Zabuza was being so helpful? What would he have to gain?_

_Zabuza already knew what was on the Copy-nin's mind. "Haku would never forgive me if I attacked you now. As far as I'm concerned, I am no longer in Gatou's employ. She revealed to me that he was planning to betray us all along, so the old man and his family are safe from me." The Kijin no Kiri replied._

_Back with Sasuke and Naruto, Naruto was ready to rip the Uchiha apart, but Sasuke's arrogance reared it's ugly head...and sealed his fate._

_"Hey dobe...Why so angry? All I did was get rid of some dead weight. It's not like I would have actually given that pathetic fangirl my seed someday. The least she would have done was provide some entertainment. That female of yours is what I really want, so how about handing her over dobe? It's not like you can beat me now that I have my Sharingan." Sasuke boasted._

_Wasting no words, Naruto flashed in and connected with a solid blow to the brooder's ribs, cracking a few of them and forcing Sasuke to his knees before him._

_"Haruna-obasan...I love her like a mother...She's always been there for me growing up since I had no parents. She made me feel better when everyone else hurt me. I promised Haruna-obasan...that I would protect Sakura, her only living relative, with my life. Now, because of you...__**SHE'S GONE!"**__ Naruto yelled out in a scream of unholy rage and with tears flowing from his eyes, pounding the proud Uchiha into ground chuck on the spot._

_Sakura heard everything he said. 'He really sees Auntie as his mother? She always told me to be nice to him, but I didn't know about this...I so sorry Naruto. I can't let you do this and get into trouble for my sake.'_

_**"TIME TO DIE, UCHIHA!"**__ Naruto roared as he rasied his clawed fist to end Sasuke's time in this world._

_"NARUTO! STOP, HE'S NOT WORTH IT!" She screamed out to him, causing him to pause._

_"S-Sakura? You're alive?" He stammered out as his Bijuu cloak died down, letting Sasuke fall to the ground with a heavy thud._

_"Y-yes...I'm okay now." She called out tiredly as Kurumi helped her stand._

_"Good...That's good." He breathed out in relief as he made his way over to them, dragging a very unconscious Sasuke back with him. He stumbled a bit since using his Demon Chakra heavily taxes his chakra network, but he managed to make it over to them before falling to his knees in exhaustion._

_**FLASH BACK END!**_

The Shinobi council was less than pleased with what they just bore witness to. Sasuke had just betrayed his team while the Jinchuuriki tried to bring her assailant to justice. Naruto _was_ in the grips of the demon he possessed, but he was able to control it's power and keep himself stable, plus in his favor, when Sasuke tried to use her to shield himself, Naruto snatched her away and set her down gently to be cared for while he engaged the traitor. Even the enemy nin were disgusted with the Uchiha's actions and after being betrayed by their employer, they joined forces with Team 7 to fight off the attacking thugs. The older girl, Kurumi, fought like an avenging angel and even Sakura, who had just been revived, performed her duty admirably and bravely, ending the battle with a complete victory and improving their reputation.

Sasuke's actions, however, were utterly and completely deplorable at best and at worst, treasonous. He intentionally used his own teammate in a poor attempt at calling an opponent's bluff, which failed miserably, and on top of that, he used her as a human shield and blatantly lied to them. That action alone completely sickened the judging panel so much that one course was blatantly clear as they finished conferring with one another, Hiashi Hyuuga standing to read their verdict.

"We, the judging panel, find Sasuke Uchiha guilty of criminal negligence that nearly led to the death of a teammate and a client, and of treasonous actions against his team commander, teammates, client, and all of Konoha. We move that he be sentenced to twenty years in the Konoha Maximum Security Penitentary with no possibilty of parole. Furthermore, all Uchiha clan estates, funds, and property will be confiscated by the village and will be parcelled off, with the central governmet seizing all jutsu and historical document, and funds going into the village coffers to be dispersed to several programs of the Hokage's choosing. Upon his eventual release, his chakra and Doujutsu will remain forever sealed. Should any children that he may sire come to wield the Sharingan, they will be closely monitored to ensure that the Uchiha of the past remains a memory." The Hyuuga head stated, speaking for his fellow clan heads and judges.

"WHAT? YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I NEED TO AVENGE MY CLAN! YOU ALL OWE ME JUST FOR LIVING IN THIS DUMP YOU CALL A VILLAGE! I'LL MAKE YOU ALL PAY FOR BETRAYING ME!" Sasuke ranted and raved until someone backhanded him back into his seat.

"One whims of one brat don't really matter in the face of the charges that you've been proven guilty of. Just be thankful that you aren't enjoying my hospitality right now." Ibiki growled.

The Civilian Council looked as if someone walked up to them and puched them in the groin then kicked their puppies. Their one last hope of gaining control of the village from the ninja and running it themselves was now forever out of their reach. Danzou was, however, oddly silent and calm about it. He was busy planning out how to get what he wanted without the Uchiha. He admitted that while losing his primary pawn was lamentable, he was not irreplaceble. He had been informed by one of his spies of the existence of the Steel Angels and of how Orochimaru found one and activated it, along with Konoha having their own Angel, but it's current whereabouts were unknown.

_'If I were to find this Steel Angel, I would have the power to not only overthrow Sarutobi, but to also conquer all that stands in the way of Konoha's destined glory. Now...I just have to find the right place to start looking...'_ He thought as he left the Uchiha to his fate and to begin his search for Konoha's lost treasure.

The civilians were in a complete uproar and a riot was threatening to break out if something wasn't done soon. Suddenly, one of the irate people grabbed Haruna and tried to get their hands on her, but she showed that person that while she was now a doctor, she was a fully trained kunoichi in her day as she decked him hard enough in the teeth that he would be shitting out his canines inside of a day or two. Kurumi lept to her defense by acting as a human bulldozer, using a bench that she ripped free as the dozer blade as she the ANBU used several sleep-inducing Genjutsu to knock out some of the more hostile rioteers.

After a few moments of pure chaos, the situation was back under control. A few people were hurt, but not too badly and the Rookie teams came though fine since they were near their parents and sensei, but the all had a vastly different opinion of their former classmate. They were all brought up to believe that their teammates were like a sort of family for them, that every Konoha shinobi was their comrade no matter what, but Sasuke's actions and words at the bridge set their anger ablaze. They felt thet he deserved the punishment that he recieved. Even Ino was completely disgusted by her former crush. He would would have done the same thing to her, but wouldn't have anyone to avenge her like Naruto did, since all she had been doing from day one was push her teammates away and alienating them.

_'Oh my God...I'm so sorry, Sakura...I had no idea that really happened...'_ She lamented as she started crying.

"Eh? What's wrong with you?" Shikamaru asked.

"Would you guys...have reacted like Naruto if Sasuke did that to me?" She asked.

Shikamaru thought about it for a second, mulling the thought around before answering.

"Yeah...I mean, I was taught by my old man that no matter what, every shinobi of Konoha is my comrade. That applys to you, too." He answered.

Even thought the delivery was beyond lackluster, it still gave her a sense of comfort to know that her teammates still had her back should things go south.

After it was all said and done, Sasuke was led out of the courtroom and prison-bound, his many fangirls wailing and crying the entire time. The remaining civilians filed out of the courtroom in a daze and the shinobi followed, getting back to their respective duties.

_**TEAM 7 BRIDGE**_

Kakashi led his team plus Haruna out to Team 7's regular meeting place in order to talk about what just happened and to relay instructions from the Hokage.

"Now, since Sasuke will be...indisposed for quite a while, we will be needing a replacement teammate in order to take missions again. Hokage-sama has already seen to this and has taken the liberty of choosing that person for us." Kakashi told them.

"Who is this person, sensei?" Kurumi asked, surprized that what she got in return was a chuckle.

"You, Kurumi-chan. The third person is you." Kakashi informed her, reaching into his pouch and pulling out a headband just like the ones her master, friend and sensei all wore. He tied it to her forehead in the same fashion that her master had his and pulled back.

"You are now an official kunoichi of Konoha in all the ways that count. This was done so that you can take the Chuunin Exams in a months time. With how you all matured on this last mission, you've earned it. However, I will be training you all to the bone so that you will be ready to face the dangers of the Exams." Kakashi warned them.

"So, Kurumi will be able to accompany us on missions, now? Alright!" Naruto cheered.

"I'm soooo happy, master! I'll to be with you all the time, now!" She cheered, but she accidentally let slip with the '_master'_ bit that she was supposed to keep on the DL and Sakura heard it nice and clearly.

"Why...did she call him master?" Sakura asked, puzzled.

"I'm afraid that you've stumbled onto yet another one of Konoha's most closely guarded secrets." Kakashi sighed.

Sakura was beginning to get worried. She had known Naruto for years and there was _still_ so much that she didn't know about her mysterious teammate. She didn't know how much more she could handle. From the look on her aunt's face, she knew as well. She couldn't fathom how her aunt knew so many secrets and knew so many important people. For the longest time, all she knew about her aunt was that she was simply a doctor at the hospital.

"Sakura, since you a part of this team and we will need to be in sync and trust each other, you will need to know. Hokage-sama has given Naruto the go ahead to tell anyone who needs to know about this and he's always been good about keeping secrets." Kakashi said as he nodded to Naruto, who nodded back, his normally cheerful face now dead serious.

"Now...This all started back before there were even ninja, over 700 years ago..." Kakashi said as he began to explain just _what_ Kurumi really was, with Naruto filling her in on _how_ he found her and activated her. The old Sakura would have berated him for how he...activated her, but this one was more understanding and she found it somewhat adoreable that his first kiss gave him a priceless gift and his first friend in his lonely life. She now understood why she meant so much to him and why he always got so upset whenever Sasuke made passes at her. A Steel Angel and her master share a bond that is so much more that just affection. They are bound together on a spiritual level that most couples could never hope to attain. Her dogged loyalty that was in her programming, but he was every bit as loyal to her.

'_If I was one...I'd feel lucky if Naruto was my master. He wouldn't abuse me or my trust in him.' _ Sakura thought.

As she thought of this, she was also intrigued by the history that pre-dated their era, the era that created Kurumi and several of her _sisters._ That was another fact that surprized her, the fact that Kurumi was one of possibly hundreds of Steel Angels that were created to fight. From the strength Kurumi was capable of, she shuddered to imagine what a small army of her kind could do, what what kind of enemy battled them to a stand still. In fact, she voiced that very question and got a bone chilling answer from Naruto.

"I can talk with the Kyuubi within me and he is actually really polite. He told me about how he and the rest of his fellow demons came to this world. They were summoned here by a clan of humans to help them take over the world, but they ran out of control when they were placed under a spell to control them. He told me that the same clan was responsible for the Kyuubi disaster the night I was born, something about _pinwheel _eyes..." Naruto told them.

Kakashi's eyes widened at the mention of the eyes.

"Sharingan..." He whispered, but the rest heard him.

"What?" Haruna asked, completely gobsmacked.

"You can't mean..." Naruto said as Kakashi regained his senses.

"Those eyes and they way you said the Kyuubi was controlled...It had to have been an Uchiha that did it. They are the only ones that were capable of such a feat. The thing is...The only Uchiha that could do it was Madara Uchiha. He was supposed to have died over 60 years ago, but...This changes everything. If he's still out there...No one is safe..." Kakashi confirmed, his tone grave.

Kurumi knew what she was created for...To fight the Bijuu and protect humanity and to protect her chosen master above all else. Now...The truth was that the Bijuu were summoned by _humans_...The same clan as the awful Sasuke Uchiha. They were still around and trying to cause trouble. She felt her anger well up within her. Billions had died because of their arrogance and they nearly destroyed the human race and they were still as haughty and arrogant as they were before, if Sasuke was anything to go by. And to make matters worse...There's still two more out there, even worse than Sasuke could ever be.

The discussion dragged on for over an hour until they had to call the meeting to a close and get some rest. Kakashi told them to be back at the bridge at the same time tomorrow before he left to go take care of some other business.

"Well...We'd better go home now, kids. I'll cook up some..." Haruna told them until she saw a plume of smoke rise from a familiar corner of the village...around where she lived.

"No...We need to go..NOW!" She shouted as Kurumi scooped her up, Naruto, Sakura and herself leaping off for the Haruno house and fearing the worst.

_**HARUNO RESIDENCE**_

They made all haste to the Haruno residence, homing in on the plume of smoke to find...The house was engulfed in flames with a crowd of people watching and cheering.

"Too bad they weren't in there! They deserve to burn in hell!" A man shouted, holding a torch aloft.

"Burn those Haruno whores! Kill them!" An older fan girl screeched.

From a rooftop across the street, Haruna and Sakura saw their house going up in flames and no one was moving to help, so Haruna called on her old shinobi training and jumped down from the rooftop to confront the hostile crowd.

"Auntie! Wait!" Sakura yelled as she followed her only living relative down there in a last ditch effort to save their home. Naruto and Kurumi both hopped down to help them disperse the crowd.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Haruna shouted at the top of her lungs as she tossed a vandal aside like a ragdoll.

"It's the whores and the demon! Kill them all!" They all shouted almost as one and advanced on the small makeshift family. Luckily, almost all of them were non-shinobi and those that were had little skill at it. Team 7 were all combat proven shinobi and Haruna was a retired Chuunin, but the sheer numbers were going to be a problem for them. On top of that, they couldn't kill them, plus they were trying to put the flames out and save their home. This was going to prove difficult.

Luckily, the ANBU team that had been escorting Sasuke to the prison were returning and spotted the trouble. Tora, the team leader, diverted their path to the house and upon seeing who was in trouble, he wasted no time in helping out, sending ANBU Shishi back to brief the Hokage of the situation. Kakashi responded at the same time they did and unleashed one of the most powerful Suiton jutsu he knew, chakra cost be damned.

_**SUITON : HAHONRYU!**_

A deluge of water was launched straight into the air and came down in a heavy rain, easily putting out the hellish flames. Sadly, most of the house had been completely destroyed by the fire, many of her most treasured memories now damaged beyond repair. While the ANBU dealt with the crowd, the small makeshift family tried to salvage anything they could from the ruins. Haruna came across the charred remains of her old dress that she wore to Minato's and Kushina's wedding and a ruined portrait of the wedding, along with shreds of Sakura's baby pictures and her spare glasses and her medical texts.

Sakura made her way into what used to be her room and found her burned out vanity and most of her clothes were gone, along with most of her ninja gear. Thankfully, she was also rid of her Sasuke picture collection that she had been meaning to throw out anyway. All of it was already in trash bags, ready to go. The fire hadn't reached the kitchen yet, but most of the furniture was completely destroyed by the vandals long before the fire, including their beds.

Haruna sank to her knees in despair. Her parents had left her the house as an inheiretance. She grew up there. She raised Sakura there and now...it was gone. The woman was embraced by her small family as they all stood up as one and a sympathetic Hokage and Kakashi walked over after the hostile crowd was dealt with. Many were executed on the spot and the rest were hauled away without trial to the prisons and labor camps.

"I'm...I don't know what to say, Haruna." The Hokage said sadly.

"If you guys want, I'll help you look for a new place." Kakashi offered.

"Hey...With the mission money and what I have saved, I'll buy out the two apartments next to mine. It's no problem, Auntie Haruna!" Naruto told her, trying to help.

Both Kakashi and Sarutobi both sghook their heads sadly.

"Naruto-kun...My child...The crowd that did this...They hit your apartment first. There's nothing left of the entire complex. It's all gone." Sarutobi informed the boy sadly.

Kakashi had never in his life felt the murderous rage he was feeling now. In one fell swoop, his student had lost their homes and there was nothing he could do. Naruto was in a similar boat. All of his worldly possessions, the few he had and his savings, they were gone. He was left with next to nothing but the clothes he had on his back and his mission pay docket. Kurumi felt her master's despair and was beginning to cry, because she was powerless to do anything to help him.

Sarutobi was cursing the ignorance of his council and the villagers that allowed this to happen. He was once again grimly reminded that the Hokage is all all-powerful like people seem to believe. However, he just had a an idea. Naruto's inheiritance included a house and Haruna had accepted Guardianship over him due to his Godparents going AWOL when he was born and not looking back. She could, by proxy, accept it until Naruto comes of age and they could live there! It was already fully furnished, and there were security seals that Minato had set up to prevent things like this from happening.

"I...have something that belongs to Naruto. It was supposed to be his once he turned 16, but I think he needs it now more than ever." Sarutobi said, breaking the silence.

"W-What do you mean, Jiji?" Naruto asked.

"I mean that you were left a house, amongst other things. Your Godparents were supposed to be the executors of your parent's will, but they have abandoned their duties, so I appoint Haruna, your legal guardian, to do so. Do you agree with me, Naruto-kun? Do you trust her enough for this?" The old man asked.

"Yes. Haruna-obasan took care of me when no one else would. I trust her." Naruto said, not hesitating for even a second.

"Haruna, do you accept the responsiblity?" Sarutobi asked her next.

"Yes. I'm...honored by the trust he has in me and will not fail him." Haruna declared, her steely gaze boreing into the old Hokage's.

"Very well. Come by my office and I will draw out the deed and keys. I trust that your funds were safely secured in the bank, Haruna?" He asked her.

"Yeah...It's still safe as far as I know. I'm just glad that I got into the habit of saving a little of each of my paychecks over the years." Haruna remarked.

"Auntie? We won't be homeless?" Sakura asked.

"No, dear...We'll live with Naruto-kun in the house that he inheirited. Is that okay, Naruto-chan?" She asked of him. He looked at her like she was an alien.

"What kind of question is that? Of course, you guys can live with me!" Naruto replied with one of his grins shining through once again.

Sakura gave her teammate a grateful hug as she packed up what she could salvage and slung it over her shoulder, Haruna doing the same. Together, they all set out for the Hokage's office and hopefully, to a better future together as a family.

_A/N: Sasuke got what every traitor to home and country deserves. If you betray your oath to defend your people, you deserve to burn in the lowest pits of hell. To make matters worse, his most rabid supporters took the cowardly approach and torched the homes of the ones Sasuke victimized._

_ Sorry about that...I was just over at Tacos el Gurillo, a local taco joint, with my kid when some dirtbag and his loser buddies waltz into the place and started calling all military members murderers and frauds. This guy must have been stupid, because Lemoore California is a Navy/Marine Corps town like San Diego(Sand Dog, OORAHH!). Over 75% of the population is either Active Duty, Ex-military, or Retired Military. We threw that asshole out faster than he could blink, but his words still left a bad taste in our mouths._

_ Enough of that...Anyway, more truths come to light and it is now confirmed that the Uchiha were the ones responsible for bringing the Bijuu into the world in the first place, Madara trying to finish what they started. Now, his faction that he secretly controls is in possession of one of the Steel Angels, Karinka. Another is in the clutches of the mad Sannin, Orochimaru. I smell a three way smack down of biblical proportions coming!_


	10. Chuunin Exams Part 1

_Hey guys...Another chapter coming up. Sorry about the lag time between chapters as of late, but I've been very busy. If you need to recap, I suggest you read back a few chapters to catch up again._

_**KONOHA STREETS**_

Team 7 was currently en route to the Konoha Academy when they went over everything they had been through as a team in the past three months...

_**TIME SKIP - 3 MONTHS**_

_ After the arson incident, Team 7 followed Sarutobi to his office and true to his word, he drew out the deed and keys to the Namikaze estate. Once they arrived there, they saw that is was a modest home, two stories high with 5 rooms and 2 bathrooms with an outdoor bath included. Kurumi, Haruna, and Sakura all had to be keyed into the security seals around the house or it would react to their presense. Once that was over, they picked out their rooms, but Kurumi insisted on being in the same room as her master. The two other females understood why she was so adamant about it, so they didn't comment or say anything. Steel Angels, especially ones like Kurumi who have been fully awakened, had the desire to always remain by their master's side._

_ The small, pseudo-family had a few scrapes and incidents with a few of the more stubborn locals trying to get into the estate grounds, but the security seals that Minato had set up throughout the house and the grounds stopped them dead in their tracks. After that, there were no more attempts at vandalism and with how the council's grip had been weakened, the price gouging had lightened up considerably._

_ Haruna faced some of the backlash at the hospital when a few of the nurses and doctors were banding together in an attempt to get her fired as a form of retaliation. However, Yui Ayase managed to find out not only who the conspirators were, but what they were planning to do. The savvy 19 year old nurse managed to get herself pegged as Dr. Haruno's personal assistant so that she could be the proverbial eyes in the back of her head. Thus far, they managed to avoid and spin around over a dozen different incidents, getting their detractors fired in the process. As for Yui herself, she was slated to be one of the medical personnel for the up coming Chuunin Exams, along with Dr. Haruno herself and a select few others._

_ On a brighter note, Ino came over to their new house and had something she wanted to get off of her chest..._

_ "What do you want, Ino?" Sakura asked, her eyes and tone wary._

_ "S-Sakura...I...want to say...I'm sorry, for everything I said back at the restaurant." Ino told her, her voice no louder than a whisper. Sakura eyed her for a second, trying to gauge if she was really sincere. Finally, she spoke._

_ "I'm not the only one you have to apologize to, Ino. Naruto deserves one, too." Sakura replied in a firm tone._

_ "Do you know where he lives?" She asked._

_ "...Yes. I'll go get him." She said, turning into the house and calling for him._

_ "Hey, Naruto! Someone here to see you!" She called out. A moment later, Naruto appeared at the top of the stairs._

_ "What's up, Sakura-chan?" He asked before looking at the doorway._

_ "What's...Naruto doing here, too?" She asked, her tone carrying a tone of disbelief._

_ "This is his house. His apartment was burnt down at the same time our house was, so he offered to let us live here. It was his inheirtence from his parents and we needed it." Sakura informed her, making sure to keep the sensitive stuff she knew secret._

_ "Who were his parents? They seem like they must have been loaded!" She exclaimed._

_ "We can't tell you. What do you want anyway, Ino?" Naruto asked her, getting to the point and off of the subject._

_ "Oh! Well...Um...I wanted to say that I was sorry about all of the stuff I said back in the restaurant." She told him, looking down at her sandals._

_ "Really? Is that so?" Naruto asked, his eyebrow raised._

_ "Really! I mean it! I acted like a real jerk back there. I didn't believe what happened to you, but when I saw what happened at the trial...I felt horrible. I could believe that Sasuke-k ...Sasuke could be such a heartless monster." Ino confessed to them._

_ The two teammates looked at each other, trying to come up with something to say. They eventually shrugged._

_ "Ino...We just need a little time to think on this. I mean...A LOT has happened to us as of late." Sakura told her. Her face looked downcast, but she just thought of something. _

_ 'Sasuke proved to be a real letdown...But Naruto here is still available and I don't think Forehead put a claim on him. If anything, they treat each other like siblings...I'll give it a shot.' Ino thought as she tried flirting and sweet talking him, introducing the idea. Once she was prepared to spring her trap...Kurumi came bounding down stairs and glomped him. She was careful to not call him master like she does when no one's around, but the effect was still there._

_ "Naruto-kun! Let's go play!" She giggled._

_ Even though Ino had seen her before, she didn't know that she and Naruto were so close. She was hanging off of him like a barnicle, but he seemed to be smiling._

_ 'WHAT? Aw, come on! I can't compete with THAT! If I were a lesbian, though, I'd TOTALLY do her. Dammit...A good one's already taken...' Ino pouted as she gave her farewells and kicked a rock in the street as she left._

_ "What's her problem?" Naruto asked. Sakura knew EXACTLY what Ino was up to, but Kurumi's appearance brought her plans to a screeching halt. She informed her teammates of what she was trying to do. Kurumi summed it up nicely._

_ "Nuh uh! No way! She can go find her own master!" Kurumi growled as she mashed his head into her chest._

_ "Not the way I'd put it, but that works too." Sakura shrugged, putting that issue to rest._

_ During the two months until the Chuunin Exams, they had trained relentlessly. Naruto had been making massive improvments in his skills while Sakura was busy catching up. Her stamina and capacity were in dire need of expansion and she worked on them until she nearly passed out everyday with the kind of dedication that would make Gai proud. Speaking of which, he had his team cross train with his rival's team to give them a view of more experienced Genin. _

_ "Kakashi! I see you have another student now! She seems to be full of youthful vigor!" Gai said/yelled._

_ "Uh...Yeah." Kakashi replied lamely as Lee introduced himself to Kurumi._

_ "Hello! My name is Rock Lee and I would be honored if you would be my girlfriend!" He annouced in a manner that was a mirror image of his sensei. Sakura saw this and had her face in her palm._

_ "Oh boy..." She muttered, catching Tenten's attention._

_ "What's wrong, besides Lee getting shot down again?" She asked._

_ "Just watch. You'll see." Sakura replied._

_ "No way! I got Naruto-kun!" She replied quickly as she mashed said blond's head into her chest once again._

_ "I see...SO YOU HAVE ALREADY CAPTURED THE HEART OF THE FAIR KURUMI-CHAN?" Lee wailed._

_ "Uh...What?" He replied lamely._

_ 'Oh man...Not this wierdo again...' He grumbled._

_ 'I'm so proud of you, Naruto...' Kakashi thought, hearing his response._

_ "CURSE YOUR HIPNESS, NARUTO-SAN! I SHALL CALL ON ALL OF MY YOUTHFULNESS TO WIN HER HEART!" Lee yelled announced at the top of his lungs, "Youthful" tears pouring down his cheeks._

_ "WELL SAID, MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT! IF I CANNOT HELP YOU WIN HER HEART, I WILL EAT 20 BOWLS OF DEVIL'S BLOOD HELL CURRY FROM DEMON COUNTRY WITHOUT WATER OR MILK!" Gai cried out._

_ "AND YOU CANNOT DO THAT, I WILL CARVE A REPLICA OF HOKAGE MOUNTAIN OUT OF THAT BOULDER USING ONLY MY FACE!" Lee replied as the hugging ensued, the "Evil Genjutsu" in full effect. Everyone was sure to look away from the horrifying sight...Everyone but Kurumi._

_ "What...Are they doing?" She asked, completely confused._

_ "Believe me...You're better off not knowing." Tenten sighed while she staved off a headache as they got down to what they were doing there, training. Of course, Neji was on that team and while he was less of a jerk than he used to be, he was still a bit overbearing towards the more junior Team 7._

_ "I have to say that you are...Less than I expected, being the Dead Last and Fan Girl not withstanding." Neji mused aloud in a condescending tone, not noticing the growing anger on the face of the taller pink haired girl and her male teammate. Sakura noticed Kurumi's enraged expression and stopped her from advancing. She then stepped forward to speak._

_ "Neji-san. You don't know anything about us, so please don't act as if you do. The Hyuuga all seeing eyes don't see everything." Sakura told him calmly, but with a firm and steely undertone that made her sensei proud. _

_ "Sakura's really growing up and away from the fangirl she used to be. I also have to give Naruto credit for not rising to the bait." Kakashi mentioned to Gai._

_ "I see..." Gai agreed, but Kakashi wasn't done yet._

_ "It's a good thing Sakura spoke out when she did, or your Rookie of the Year would have had a long hospital stay." Kakashi added. This caught Gai's attention._

_ "What make's you say that, my rival? While I don't mean to speak lightly of your student, but Neji-kun is quite strong for a Genin." Gai asked._

_ "Let's just say that this girl can give Lady Tsunade a run for her money in sheer strength. One hit took down the infamous Zabuza while Naruto-kun defeated both the Uchiha with his Sharingan and Zabuza's accomplice, while helping to take down thugs. Sakura-chan did very well herself, despite being tired." Kakashi casually mentioned. Despite being touted as a genius when he was younger, he saw first hand what it could do to a person, all of that going to someone's head. He decided that being a genius wasn't all it was cracked up to be, especially after Obito died._

_ "Yosh! I now find myself wanting to challenge their flames of Youth! We shall have our two teams face one another in a mock battle! Is this okay with you, my rival?" Gai requested, giving his usual wide and...Quite frankly, disturbing grin._

_ "Let me tell my students first and see what they think." Kakashi replied as he walked over to them._

_ "Hey guys...You want to make them eat those words?" Kakashi asked, but the looks on their faces spoke volumes. They wanted to fight._

_ "Yosh! Do you want to face Kakashi-kun's team?" Gai asked of his team._

_ "Gai-sensei, this is a blatant mismatch. They couldn't even beat Lee and he was the Dead Last for last year." Neji replied with disdain._

_ "Neji-kun...That wasn't a very nice way of saying it. But sensei, he has a point. We have over a year's worth of experience on them." Tenten added._

_ "Ah...But you underestimate them. Go ahead and fight with them. I think you will be surprized." Gai told them as he ushered them forward._

_ After a moment of explaining the ground rules, especially to Kurumi, they squared off. Naruto was singled out by Neji, Tenten faced Sakura, while Lee took on his new crush._

_ "AHH! MY YOUTHFUL PASSION BURNS! KURUMI-CHAN! LET US HAVE A GOOD FIGHT AND IF I WIN, WILL YOU GO ON A DATE WITH ME?" Lee hollared._

_ "No way! I only want Naruto-kun! What don't you understand?" She replied again, getting angry that this strange kid didn't learn yet as he launched a kick only for her to block easily. She quickly grabbed the ankle and flung him aside like she was tossing a pillow._

_ 'Wha...? Such strength! I WANT HER TO DATE ME EVEN MORE!' He thought as he continued to attack her. After a few more minutes, she was growing impatient with his constant advances. Granted, he was nowhere near as bad as Sasuke, but it was still annoying. She caught his incoming punch with ease, clamping down hard and keeping him from escaping._

_ "I will NEVER leave Naruto-kun's side...GOT THAT?" She roared as she punched his tickte for a free flight across the village, his teammates watching in awe._

_ "Wha...? How the...? No way!" Tenten gasped as the now somewhat infuriated pinkette turned her sights over to where Neji was taking Naruto to task._

_ "I tried to tell you. Kurumi's only got eyes for my teammate for better or worse and if anyone tries to come between them...Kami have mercy." Sakura explained, carefully covering up the fact that she was like that for another reason as they continued to fight. Sakura was putting up a good fight against Tenten, but was still being overwhelmed._

_ For the past few minutes, Neji had been toying with Naruto in a manner not unlike a cat toying with a wounded mouse. Naruto had improved dramatically over the past few months, but it wasn't nearly enough to overcome Neji's skill and experience. His clones and his natural deviousness were able to somewhat offset his lack of experience and skill difference in Taijutsu, but he was still being picked apart by the Hyuuga genius._

_ "Hmph. Zero times zero will always remain zero." Neji scoffed as he slammed a Jyuuken powered palm into Naruto's gut, taking him down. He was about to turn away when he sensed an incoming blow and dodged out of the way, and not a moment too soon either due to said blow taking a good chunk out of the ground._

_ "What? How is she so strong?" He muttered to himself in complete disbelief._

_ "Hey you! Yeah! You girly looking guy! Stop picking on my Naruto-kun!" Kurumi roared as she charged in to take Neji down, but he was quicker. He countered with a barrage of Jyuuken strikes to incapacitate her, but they were worse than useless. They only made her even angrier! To her, all she felt was a few contacts with her breasts and she interpreted that as copping a feel. You can already guess what this means._

_ 'I-Impossible! The Jyuuken had no effect on her!' He though as he took a good look at her system with his Byakugan...And saw that she had no system to speak of! Only a central mass in her chest..._

_**POW!**_

_ Kurumi's fist met with Neji's stomach with the force of a speeding dump truck, nearly causing it to abandon ship while he sailed away. He skipped end over end across the nearby pond before skidding to a halt in a pile of mud, ass in the air, as she went to check on her master._

_ "Kurumi-chan...I'm okay. We need to go help Sakura-chan." He told her shakily as he stood up slowly with her assisstance as they went to their teammates aid._

_ Sakura had just baerly blocked a swipe from Tenten's staff with a kunai and broke away from her, trying to put some distance between them. Tenten was getting tired of running her back down and having to get through the traps she'd set, so she got within range and summoned some chains to tie her down. Sakura looked back to see a pair of chains screaming right at her and she was too tired to avoid them. She closed her eyes to await the blow, but it never came. Instead, Kurumi stood over her holding the chains while Naruto had slipped in and dragged her away to safety._

_ "Thanks, guys. I thought she had me." Sakura sighed in relief as Tenten tried to pull the chains away, only for Kurumi to yank them from her hands with no effort. The sane choice was as clear as glass._

_ "I give! I give!" She yelped, waving her hands in the air. She didn't want to experience Kurumi's strength first hand like her teammates did._

_ Gai looked gobsmacked. His team had been wiped out while Kakashi's team all covered each other, showing exemplary teamwork. Kurumi displayed a strength that was comparable to his own and shrugged off the Jyuuken like it was nothing, Naruto was actually holding Neji at bay for a little while until Kurumi helped him, and Sakura was managing to fend off Tenten until her teammates came to her aid. _

_ On the other hand, Kakashi looked every bit the proud sensei. He knew that their teamwork was hard won and hard learned, if their misranked mission in Wave had proven anything. With everything that happened afterward, his team had become like a family that watched out for one another. Not for the first time, he wondered what Team 7 would have been like had Kurumi not come into their lives...And shuddered._

_ All of that aside, Gai's team had lost their mock battle against a fresh Genin team consisting of the Dead Last, a recovering Fan Girl, and a totally unknown kunoichi. He knew that he would have to further stoke their "Youth" with extra training sessions to cure them of their overconfidence. Neji was at least grateful for one thing as he watched Lee and Gai perform their self-punishments..._

_ 'At least Lee will leave me alone now that he found a new rival...I really pity you, Uzumaki...' He thought, shaking his head as they limped away. He and Tenten at least got a show out of it as they performed their self-punishments. Gai was trying to eat 20 bowls of curry so spicy, just looking at it nearly gave them ulcers. Looking over at Lee, they nearly had sympathy headaches watching Lee bash his face into the house sized boulder. A person with a lesser stomach and more of a conscience would have tried to stop them...But this was only going to get better._

_ Team Gai wasn't the first team they had cross training with. Teams 8 and 10 were also called upon for training sessions. Team 8's came first and Kurenai finally got to meet the fabled Kurumi, whom she took a liking to, and Hinata also got to meet her new nemesis for Naruto's heart. Shino's was...Well, Shino but Kiba was about to learn a harsh lesson about girls. Naruto was talking with the Sandaime about something and would be along later._

_ "Whoa! She's a real babe, huh Akamaru?" Kiba asked his canine companion, who yipped in agreement. He then decided to go over and put some moves on the new girl. Sakura saw what he was up to and stood up from her stretches to issue her standard disclaimer._

_ "You know...I wouldn't do that if I were you." Sakura warned him._

_ "Eh? Why not?" Kiba asked._

_ "Naruto and her are together." She replied simply._

_ "So what? I bet if I show her what a real shinobi looks like, she'll ditch that loser." Kiba laughed as he marched over, completely full of himself. Sakura just shook her head as she sat back, getting ready to enjoy the show. Kurenai was ready to march over to stop him, but Kakashi stopped her, the glare she gave him venomous._

_ "Just watch. Kiba's going to learn something he should have a long time ago." Sakura commented as Kiba made it over to the Angel, who was stretching._

_ "Hey babe. I don't think I ever saw you before." Kiba greeted, a lecherous grin on his face._

_ "What do you want?" She asked, annoyed that yet another guy was hitting on her. This was something she was getting really tired of._

_ "I saw you sitting here and thought that you could do so much better than the Dead Last...Like me." He replied, trying to lay down his smoothest lines._

_ "What did you just call Naruto-kun?" She asked, trembling. _

_**T-minus 10 to blast off...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...**_

_ "What? I just called him the Dead Last. That's all he'll ever be, anyway." Kiba laughed in response._

_**2...1...Ignition!**_

_"DON'T CALL HIM THAT!" She roared as she sent him into LEO __**(Low Earth Orbit)**__._

_**Houston...We have lift off.**_

_ Kurenai was in sheer awe of the raw power this girl was packing while Kakashi was watching Kiba's trajectory with a spyglass and Sakura with a pair of binoculars, betting on where he would land._

_ "10 says he lands on the female side this time." Sakura commented without looking away._

_ "15 says the male side." Kakashi muttered as Naruto walked up. The fact that they were doing this told him everything._

_ "Kiba tried something with Kurumi-chan, didn't he?" Naruto deadpanned, their nods telling him yes. Kurenai was slightly gobsmacked by their lack of action, so he answered her._

_ "This kind of thing happens nearly everyday. Put me down for 10 on Female side." Naruto shrugged as Kurumi noticed his arrival, becoming a pink tinged missle that snatched her master up into a tight cuddle. Hinata was beginning to shake with anger from how this girl was cuddling with HER Naruto. Shino could feel her rage roiling off of her in waves, so he did the smart thing...He got away from her as quickly as he could._

_ After training was over, Kiba came staggering back into the training grounds with various extra bruises and a wash bucket broken over his head. Kakashi sulked as he reached for him wallet, pulling out the money he bet his two students._

_ Next up, we have Team 10's session with them and the further introduction of the Angel, even though they didn't know what she really was. Shikamaru got a good look at her and smirked at his kunoichi teammate._

_ "So...She's the one who jumped your claim on our other resident blond, huh? I bet you never thought someone hotter than you would step in." Shikamaru teased. Ino saw red as she put a knuckle in the back of his head._

_ "Shut it, lazybones, or I'll tell your mom how you spend all of your training sessions just playing shougi." Ino retorted, making his eyes go wide._

_ "You would dare..."_

_ "Try me."_

_ "...Damn...Troublesome girl..." He sulked as his shoulders slumped. He knew he was beat, when his mother was brought into the equation. Ino smirked herself, knowing she had won this little verbal spar, but blushed slightly when she recalled that he mentioned that she was hot. That still wouldn't put her out of her funk from being turned down by Naruto of all people so easily._

_ Chouji just simply introduced himself and whispered to Naruto._

_ "Good job, man! You're one lucky guy."_

_ "Thanks, Chouji...You have no idea how lucky I feel." Naruto replied, a soft smile on his face as Asuma introduced himself to the fabled girl._

_ "So...My dad told me about you. It's nice to finally get to meet you." The bearded Jounin greeted._

_ "Huh? The old man's your old man? Cool!" She chirped as she shook his hand...And nearly broke it. He turned to Kakashi after she bounced away after Naruto._

_ "Geez...What's with her strength?" He asked, shaking his hand to get some feeling back into it._

_ "She eats her veggies?" He offered weakly with a shrug as training moved on. _

_ Chouji squared off against the pink tressed powerhouse and even at his strongest, he was no match for her. He even pulled out his Human Boulder and she caught him like it was nothing. All of Team 10 tried their techniques on her and the only one that would work was Shikamaru's...For a moment until she ripped free. Ino's wouldn't work, and the only thing she saw was nothing...Just a blank slate._

_ Against the other members of Team 7. Ino fought with Sakura while Naruto had fought Shikamaru. Ino was eager to see where she stacked up against her former friend, but was surpirzed that she approached the fight with a tenacity that she hadn't seen before while Shikamaru was surprized that Naruto was smarter and more patient than he remembered...And faster. Just when he thought he caught the real Naruto, he poofed away to reveal that all he caught was a Kage Bunshin while the real Naruto had a kunai to his back. Ino was defeated by Sakura, who was able to confuse her into using her Mind Jutsu on a bunshin by using a smoke screen. All of their training was paying off._

_ They didn't just train the whole time. They had already done several missions together, including a couple of C-Ranks. One was to the Fire Capitol to deliver a few document to the Daimyo. Pretty uneventful. However, another wasn't. _

_ It nearly turned out as bad as the Wave mission was, but they were able to strike first. Their mission was to chase away a new Yakuza gang that had set up shop inside of a town near the Fire/Wind border. These thugs had been doing pretty much what ever they damn well pleased and behaived much like Gatou had. Team 7 arrived in Katabame Town a day after they got the mission and saw that it was nearly a ghost town. They would see people peeking out at them through their window shutters before they slammed them shut. _

_ "The people here are terrified...I already don't like this." Kakashi murmured as he pulled his team off of the main streets and up to the rooftops._

_ "Let's keep a low profile for now and head to the client's house quickly." He instructed, the team nodding._

_ As they continued along the rooftops silently, they could see things happen in the alleyways below. One of them as a hold up, two thugs beating up a man for his money. Another was an abduction, taking another fresh girl for the brothel. Both of these, the three tried to jump in on and stop, but Kakashi held them back._

_ "No. I know it seems cruel, but we can't afford to expose ourselves more than we already have. We came here to put a stop to this and that's what we're going to do, so let's move to the client's house." He ordered them to move._

_ Move they did. They made it to the client's house, a man named Tonkichi, the ex-Mayor of the town until the Yakuza chased him into hiding. He had some in-depth information on the identity of the leader of the Yakuza and it was a woman around Kakashi's age. He felt that he'd seen her somewhere before and dug out his Bingo Book. To his horror, the woman was an A-Ranked Missing nin from Kumogakure name Kiyoko Kurobame. She was wanted for slaughtering her entire Academy class in retaliation for being demoted to Chuunin from Jounin for flubbing a critical mission. She was a known Taijutsu expert with a healthy arsenal of Raiton Jutsu, along with highly sadistic tendencies. She was infamous for causing mind-shredding amounts of pain before she killed by snapping bones and ligaments._

_ Once again, Kakashi gave his team the option of continuing the mission or scrubbing it. After all they had seen on the way to the house, they voted to continue on mission. They all gathered intel on the various thugs and after a few days, they could safely ascertain that she had only two other ninja with her. They were a pair of former Oi-nin from Iwa, a pair of twins named Kohaku and Koharu Kingamine, C-Ranked Missing nin. Their crime was just leaving the village and not returning, opting to go into business for themselves, but they had perfect teamwork and they were rumored to be slightly telepathically linked to each other._

_ The plan was to chip away at their man power little by little by going out in disguise in pairs rather than with a Henge, due to enemy ninja being around that could detect them, the teams were Kakashi and Kurumi, Naruto and Sakura. Soon, Kiyoko was wondering where her thugs were disappearing to and began to investigate on her own , bringing her two Oi-nin to help track them, but Kakashi had them playing right into his hands. Naruto had learned the Kage Bunshin Bakuhatsu the previous week and had created several "Landmines" as explosive traps while painfully obvious passive traps were hidden near them to distract them, a collaberative idea between Naruto and Sakura._

_ As soon as the three got around the middle of the minefield, they all exploded at once. Kiyoko was fast enough to escape, but her two accomplices were blown to pieces. She didn't have long since Kurumi bore down on her and started to fight. Kiyoko was highly experienced in combat and managed to lock up with her...But that was a fatal mistake. She tried to break Kurumi's bones only for hers to break instead, Kurumi nearly taking her head off with a powerful but controlled punch. Kakashi had told her that she was worth more alive, so that's what she did. After the short battle was over, they sealed the remains of the twins into a scroll while they did the same for Kiyoko. _

_ After their boss went down, the rest of the Yakuza thugs tried to put up a front, but the rest of the townspeople easily scared them away since they no longer had the shinobi backing them, much like the Wave mission. Since the mission turned into another A-Rank mission due to the A-Rank and C-Rank missing nin involvment, the village head simply took their payment out of the coffers that Kiyoko had built up and put the rest into fixing the town to where it was again. Payment in hand, Team 7 made their way back home. _

_ After their return to the village, Sarutobi was very proud of the fact that a fresh Genin team had completed 2 A-Rank missions in their first 6 months of service. So much so that when Kakashi mentioned entering them in the upcoming Chuunin Exams, he readily agreed with him. Sarutobi was also glad that Kurumi was adapting so well to her team, turning them into a family. Kakashi even found himself invited over for supper more than a few times, seeing as how he was not only their sensei, but technically part of Naruto's family since he was the only survivor of his father's Genin team and very close to Naruto's father, making him sort of an un-official uncle to the team._

_ When Team 7 was presented with the option of entering the exams, they only smirked at each other...Well, Naruto and Sakura smirked while Kurumi merely gave her million watt smile. As they left to celebrate, they ran into the Hokage's Grandson again, Konohamaru, who had two of his little friends with him._

_ "Hey! Nii-chan! Wanna play Ninja with us?" He asked._

_ "A ninja playing ninja? That's a little odd." Sakura joked with a grin, but Konohamaru took it wrong._

_ "Meh...What does a big foreheaded girl like you know? You don't even have big boobs like Kurumi-neechan!" The pint sized boy taunted, but his jeering was cut short by Sakura grabbing his collar._

_ "What was THAT?" She yelled at him, but he wriggled free._

_ "Better run, Kono." Naruto advised, the boy doing just that._

_ The sawed off Hokage wannabe pelted around the corner, but soon ran into something...Or someone. Team 7 ran around the corner to find the boy being held up by the front of his shirt by a foregin nin._

_ "You little runt...That hurt." The black clan Genin with face paint growled._

_ "Kankuro...Put him down and cut it out! He might find out and we'll both get killed!" His female teammate, a slightly tall girl around 2 years older than them in a pale dress and her sandy blond hair in four individual ponytails. _

_ "Pipe down, Temari...I'll be quick." Kankuro replied as he cocked his fist back only to have it stopped by Kurumi. He had to admit that she was quite pretty and her...physique was also quite impressive._

_ "Hey...I never knew Konoha chicks were as hot as you..." He attempted to hit on her until he felt two sharp objects, one at his neck courtesy of her blond teammate and the other at his crotch due to the other pink haired girl._

_ "Drop the kid. NOW." Naruto ordered, pressing his kunai further to assert his point._

_ "I guess you guys are here for the exams, too? If you are, then you're going the right way to get booted out of here." Sakura added._

_ "Wh-what for? We didn't do anything!" Kankuro replied, his voice similar to a whine from Sakura adding pressure down below._

_ "Wrong. That boy is the Sandaime Hokage's only grandson. If we hadn't stopped you, the ANBU watching from the roof over there would have you seeing the inside of the T and I chambers and no one could save you. You would have created an international incident." Sakura answered, being the studious one._

_ Both Temari and Kankuro paled at hearing that. Konoha was infamous for having three of the foremost torture specialists in the known world, Ibiki Morino the Boogieman of Konoha, Inoichi Yamanaka, the Mind Destroyer, and Anko Mitarashi, the Pain Princess and Snake Mistress. Only one would be bad enough, but all three? Not a chance in Hell. Kankuro quickly released Konohamaru, who scrambled off with his two friends. Suddenly, Naruto felt a chakra spike oddly familiar to his own, a red haired boy appearing before them. and his tenant trying to speak with him._

_**"That sensation...Another like yourself is near. He bears Shukaku, the One Tailed Demon. Be wary of him, boy."**__ The massive fox warned as it's voice faded._

_ Naruto was visually shaken by the prospect of there being another container like himself within the village since he'd never met anyone like himself. He had no idea if this guy was even sane or not. As he pondered this, the strange boy was having his own little conversation._

_**"Hmm...A Steel Angel...I thought we destroyed them all..."**__ The Sand Demon mused._

_ "Mother...What is a Steel Angel?" Gaara asked._

_**"Nothing...Beware of her and the blond boy. He is like you..."**__ The Demon replied quickly as it went silent, no matter what Gaara tried to do to re-establish the link._

_ "You...Are like me?" Gaara asked. Naruto just gave him a hesitant nod in response._

_ "I see...I look forward to killing you." Gaara stated bluntly as he turned to his teammates._

_ "We are leaving." He ordered as he disappeared in a cloud of sand._

_**TIMESKIP END**_

_**KONOHA ACADEMY**_

Team 7 was currently walking into the Academy to take the exam, spotting the fake door easily and bypassing it quietly to get to the real classroom. Once there, Kakashi met them at the door, one of his famous eye-smiles on his face.

"Ah...You made it past the Genjutsu and came here. You are now ready to take the first exam, but I will give you one final chance to back out. What will you do?" He asked. His Genin looked at each other, then at him and answered.

"We're gonna take it, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto answered him.

"Yeah! This will be easy!" Kurumi chirped.

"As long as we stick together, we'll do just fine." Sakura added.

Kakashi was happy to see that they were confident with their choice, so he left with a tiding of luck. When he left, more teams from their year started to pour into the room.

"Yeah! We're gonna rule this exam!" Kiba crowed.

"Kiba. Be silent and do not draw attention." Shino chastized.

"Y-yes...W-we don't w-want others t-to target us." Hinata added, her voice very quiet.

"Aw, man..." Kiba whined. The ass kicking he recieved from

"Oi...Naruto. You're here too, huh? This is a real drag, man..." Shikamaru complained until Ino bopped him on the head.

"Will you grow a pair already?" Ino chided him until she saw Sakura and started to gab with her, another team walking in behind them...Team Gai.

"KURUMI-CHAN! I HAVE IMPROVED MYSELF AND HAVE NOW COME TO ASK FOR YOUR HAND AGAIN!" Lee yelled at the top of his lungs. Wihle Kurumi was busy rejecting his advances...AGAIN, Naruto's attention was pulled away by his tenant.

_**"Boy...I am sensing another like your friend in this room...She is VERY close...But something is off..."**_The Fox mused.

_"Huh? Like how?"_ He asked.

_**"It's as if...She's awake, but not awake...Still dreaming...I must think on this. Until then, be on your guard and keep an eye out for the girl who could be the Angel. She is still very dangerous even in her half awakened state."**_ The Kyuubi warned.

_'Damn...Another like Kurumi, but she might be hostile...This is really bad...'_ He thought as he turned back to his team, relaying what the Kyuubi told him to Sakura.

"You mean...There's ANOTHER one running around here? Where is she? Which kunoichi is she?" She asked, looking around but keeping her voice down.

"I don't know, but I know she's here..._He_ can sense her." Naruto replied. Sakura knew what he meant.

On the other end of the room, Saki stood stoically with the team she had been integrated with. Saki looked like an attractive girl of around 16 years old, wearing a black vest top with a camo patterned skirt, completed by matching arm warmers, mesh thigh highs, and her Oto Hitae-ate. The original team had been Dosu, Kin and Zaku, but Zaku met with a rather...Morbid demise at the hands of Saki after he tried getting frisky, leading to her replacing him and being a plant. She was told that he would relay orders periodically through Kabuto and would follow Dosu until then. Speaking of which, Kabuto waltzed over and showed off his cards until Dosu hit him with his sonic weapon as rehearsed. The tension died down, but Naruto and Sakura were still on edge through the entire first exam. Even Kurumi was on edge, looking at the oddly stoic brown haired kunoichi on the Sound team. She could feel that something wasn't right, but couldn't place it.

After they passed the first part, which Naruto got them through unwittingly, Kurumi ran into the woman who taught her the dreaded Puppy Dog Eyes.

"Hey! It's the Dango Lady!" Kurumi chirped as she greeted the eccentric kunoichi.

"Eh? Oh! Hey there, girly! You taking the exams today?" Anko replied cheerily with a question of her own.

"Yeah! Naruto-kun in on my team and so is Sakura-chan!" Kurumi told her as she dragged the boy and girl to the forefront.

"So HE'S the lucky kid, huh? He's a cutie." Anko winked, pinching Naruto's cheek as she regarded Sakura.

"Is she your little sister or something?" Anko inquired due to their shared hair color, causing them to scramble for a story.

"Err...Something like that." Sakura answered quickly, trying to steer away from that subject.

"Anyway, this next exam is nothing like the first one. I hope you guys are ready." Anko told them, her impish grin making Naruto and Sakura sweat but Kurumi was oblivious, still smiling. The strange woman laughed as she handed them their disclaimer forms, walking off to hand out more.

"She's...A little off..." Sakura commented.

"Tell me about." Naruto murmured as they signed up, got their scrolls, and reported to their assigned gate. The whole time, Kurumi was still looking at the brunette Oto kunoichi oddly.

_'That is so wierd...She feels...familiar.'_ She thought as they got the signal to start the Second Exam.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Naruto yelled as they all took off into the forest.

In another part of the forest, a blood-curdling scream ripped through the canopy. Saki dropped the dismembered arm of a Rain Genin and stomped on his head to silence him. She then bent down to pick up his scroll and handed it to Dosu.

"Primary objective achieved." She stated in a cold, monotone voice.

"Y-yes...Good work." Dosu replied as he pocketed the scroll. In truth, he was scared to death of her even since he saw what she did to Zaku. Now, he and Kin were now stuck in this forest with this emotionless killer that even Kabuto used extreme caution around and they were terrified, despite the fact that she was temporarily taking orders from him. He swallowed hard as he issued their secondary orders.

"N-now...We need to find the Uchiha." Dosu ordered as they began their search, unaware of their lord's true plan.

Team 7 had come to a quick stop for some rest in a small clearing toward the center of the forest, just 1/2 km shy of their destination and safety when an unnatural wind tried to scatter them about, only for Kurumi to grab hold of them and let the wind carry them all away. The caster of the jutsu scowled at her quick thinking, but was also wondering something.

"That is strange...Where is Sasuke-kun?" He wondered as he followed the team to when they landed. His usual source of information had been oddly slient about this subject. He tried getting the information about it himself, but found nothing of any relevance.

Upon landing, Team 7 was still in pretty good shape thanks to their angelic/cybernetic friend grabbing them. Naruto stood up and looked around, sighing.

"Dammit...Now I have no idea where we are." He grumbled.

"Neither do I, but I'm more worried about _what_ made that wind. It couldn't have been natural." Sakura added, but another voice cut in.

"Oh ho ho...She is a smart one. But I'm afraid that intelligence will only get you so far." The voice taunted as the three looked around for the source.

"Who the hell is that?" Naruto muttered to himself, answered by a blast of Ki that could put Kakashi to shame. Sakura buckled under it and even Naruto was slightly affected, but Kurumi was completely immune to it. In fact, she was glaring at him. Orochimaru frowned at this.

"And what is this? A mere girl thinks that she can best me? One of the Sannin?" He mocked.

"Who are you anyway, ya freak? What do you want?" She demanded.

"As for who I am, I am Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin you impudent girl. As for what I want, it is for something to be explained to me." The snake answered.

"And what would that be?" Naruto asked.

"It's quite simple, really. Why is the Uchiha not with you? Where is he?" He demanded impatiently.

"What do you want with that bastard?" Sakura spat out defiantly only to be silenced by more Ki.

"None of your business, you little brat! Now, tell me where he is!" The snake snarled. He was not expecting Naruto to laugh at him.

"And what exactly, is so funny, boy?" Orochimaru demanded.

"That Teme...Is busy rotting away in prison, where traitors like him belong!" Naruto yelled out. Orochimaru smirked arrogantly.

"Is that so? That just won't do, not at all..." He replied simply, more to himself than anything as he seemed to be mulling something over. He wasn't even keeping his guard up, not expecting them to be any threat. Naruto felt his tenant tugging at him, so he slipped into the seal for a moment.

_**"Boy...That man is...Dangerous. Your team and yourself should leave here right now and not look back."**_ The Kyuubi urged him.

_"I know...I already got an idea."_ Naruto replied. He quickly created three of his Explosive Kage Bunshin to swap out with before this snake noticed.

"Well...I believe you know what happens to people who outlive their usefullness, so I won't bore you with the details and just kill you." Orochimaru grinned sinisterly as he lunged in to dispatch the trio, but was met by a nasty surprize when he saw that they were merely Kage Bunshin...Explosive Bunshin. Apparently, someone had swapped them out for Explosive Bunshin when he was distracted. He had grossly underestimated the trio of Genin.

He wasn't a Sannin for nothing though. He escaped the huge explosion with some minor burns and scanned the area for the three, finding their signatures headed toward the tower. As he made off to run them down, he couldn't help but feel that one of them was...familiar, like he'd sensed something like her before. He thought back to where the taller pink haired girl brushed his Ki aside like it was nothing and came to a conclusion he didn't like.

_ 'That girl...She couldn't be...'_ He thought as he stopped moving for a moment, taking the time to analyse what he just thought of until he was blindsided by his old student.

_**(Now...This fight goes down according to canon, so I won't bore you with the details.)**_

After leaving his fight with Anko, Orochimaru was going to try and hunt down the trio that managed to slip by him, but passed on it and opted to contact his planted teams about his change in plans. He ordered them to fulfill the parameters of the exam and proceed to the tower and await further orders. Dosu was glad to be out of there and so was Kin, but they were still within reach of Saki if anything set her off.

_**TRAINING GROUND #44 - CENTRAL TOWER**_

Team 7 stumbled into the Central Tower while the sunlight was fading fast. They had decided that after their encounter with Orochimaru, it would be best to rush to the tower as quickly as possible. Upon arriving there and Sakura figuring out the riddle with the two scrolls, Iruka appeared in a puff of smoke to greet them.

"Congrats, you guys! You made it through the forest with almost four days to spare!" He complemented the trio. He already knew what happened to Sasuke, but that information wasn't to leave the village.

"That's great and all, but who else is here, Iruka-sensei?" Sakura cut him off. She wanted to know if their friends had made it out of the forest yet and Naruto looked like he wanted to know who was there with them already.

"Let's see...Team 8 made it through just before you did, the Suna team arrived over two hours ago..." Iruka rattled off, but the arrival of another team broke his concentraition. They all turned to see the Oto team standing there.

The Kyuubi began to tug at Naruto's attention so he went to see what the Fox wanted, but the Kyuubi's alarmed tone scared him.

_**"Boy! One of those two kunoichi is the Steel Angel!"**_ It informed him.

_"Oh crap! We need to be careful!"_ Naruto replied, mild panic in his tone as he scanned the two girls. The one with the very long ebony hair looked...Well...Normal as she seemed to be alert and looking around, if not a bit on edge. He remembered that the Kyuubi said the Angel was only half awake, so she might be easier to spot. Looking at the other kunoichi, he saw that she was standing still as a statue, her eyes not even blinking. He lightly nudged Sakura, who noticed what he was looking at and confirmed his thoughts...Somewhat.

_'What the hell? Do ALL of these Angel's have a bigger rack than me?' _Sakura thought, scowling while cupping her own chest, the other Oto kunoichi sadly understanding.

_'She's not even human and she's got bigger boobs than me...Not fair!'_ Kin whined.

"Ah...You are also very early in finishing this test." Iruka commented as he faced them as a whole.

"We already have bunking available for all of you, so if you kids would follow me..." Iruka motioned as he led them to the dormatories. Saki followed along since Dosu ordered her, although timidly, to do so. He knew that they would have to bide their time and play along, on top of keeping Saki from killing anyone within the tower. If she did, it would raise questions they really had no answers for nor could they really divulge. Naruto and Kurumi were watching her, sub-consciously knowing that she was the Angel.

_'I gotta tell Jiji and Kakashi-sensei...'_ Naruto thought. As soon as they were shown to their rooms, Naruto immeadiately set out to track down their cycloptic sensei. After an hour of searching, he found him in the galley, taking in a meal. The scarecrow looked up at his student with a slight bit of shock.

"Naruto? I didn't expect you all to finish so quickly. I must say that I'm surprised." Kakashi told him honestly, but Naruto waved it off.

"That's nice and all, Kakashi-sensei, but we have a problem...A BIG problem." Naruto replied, the tone in his voice one of total urgency.

"What happened? Are Sakura and Kurumi alright?" He asked, alarmed.

"They're fine, sensei...But we need to talk with Hokage-jiji, NOW." Naruto answered him.

"What is so critical that would have us talking with the Hokage?"

"Orochimaru is one of them..." Naruto whispered, making Kakashi's lone visible eye go wide. He abruptly stood up and pushed his meal aside.

"Let's go." Kakashi said to him as they rushed out of the dining facility and up to the Hokage's temporary office within the tower. After a few minutes, they reached the uppermost floor, where the Hokage resided for the next week and quickly knocked on the door. The door cracked open and a young brunette, one of the Hokage's secretary Chuunin, poked her head out.

"Oh! Kakashi-sama, Uzumaki-san...What could you need at this hour?" She asked of them.

"We need to speak with Hokage-sama...NOW." Kakashi told her firmly implying all seriousness. She looked to young Naruto's face and it told her all she needed to know as she motioned the pair inside. Sarutobi turned in his chair and stood up to greet them and asked her if she could wait outside.

"Now...What is so critical that you needed to see me right away?" He asked the pair, an eyebrow cocked.

"Jiji...While we were in the forest, we ran into this wierdo that called himself Orochimaru." Naruto replied, going first. The old man was shocked to his very core.

"WHAT? Did everyone on your team make it?" He asked.

"Yeah...We're all fine. We managed to get away from him, but he was asking us all kinds of questions about Sasuke-teme. He got really pissed when we told him what happened." Naruto replied.

"Sir...Do you think he's after the Sharingan?" Kakashi asked.

"...I believe so..." Sarutobi confirmed as the door burst open to reveal the examiner, Anko, who staggered inside while clutching her neck. She collasped to her knees in front of his desk, panting hard. Sarutobi already knew what it was and ordered Kakashi and Naruto to place her on his desk and hold her down, which they did. He the whipped out his sealing ink and brush, working on a counter seal to help her suppress the Curse Seal that Orochimaru inflicted on her so long ago. The vile seal hissed like a snake as the ink came in contact with it, but it was quickly suppressed and Anko regained color in her cheeks.

"Hey, Anko-sensei...You okay now?" Naruto asked her, his blue eyes looking on in concern from what he'd just seen.

"Y-Yeah...I'm fine. Thanks kid." She said as she stood to tell him about what she'd seen but Naruto shook his head.

"I know...My team and I met him, too. We managed to make a clean getaway somehow." He told her about that and about what he was doing there, since Orochimaru was arrogant enough to gloat about it.

"What do we do, sir? Do we cancel the exams?" Anko asked.

"No...We continue the exams and let him believe that he has us intimidated for now. No one is to know of this, so do not talk about it." He ordered as all three agreed upon it as Anko walked out of the room, but Kakashi and Naruto stayed.

"Is there more to add?" Sarutobi asked.

"Yeah...There's another Angel running around in the tower right now and she's one of the kunoichi taking the exam. The Kyuubi helped me pin point her, but what he said was really wierd. He said that she was _"Awake, yet not awake...Still dreaming..."_. Do you know what he meant?" Naruto asked.

"I did more studying into the Angel's and found that one of the only ways to truly awaken an Angel is the way you did it, Naruto-kun. This new Angel may have had a false activation, according to my research. Did you notice the symbol on the headband she wore?" Sarutobi asked, dreading the answer. The one he got confirmed his fears.

"Yeah...It was a musical note...Just like the one that Snake freak wore." Naruto confirmed.

"This situation has just gotten even more grave. He has found an Angel and activated her." Sarutobi murmured, trying to think of what to do.

"We need to keep this secret as well. If Orochimaru catches on that we know about her, he will change his plans even more than he already has." Sarutobi informed them as they headed off to eat and sleep but first, they needed to inform the team that they couldn't talk about this.

Back in the dorm areas, Naruto walked back in to see his teammates on the verge of falling asleep.

_'Sorry, girls...But you have to know.'_ He thought as he woke them, nearly getting his block knocked off by Sakura, who lashed out on instinct. After she apologised, they all sat in a circle to hear him out.

"What's up, Naruto?" Sakura asked sleepily as Naruto relayed everything that had been discussed with his two teammates. As shocked as they were about Anko's encounter and Orochimaru's true intentions, they understood why they needed to keep this to themselves. Orochimaru was beyond dangerous and anything he had planned was certain to be a disaster. The only thing that made it even worse was the fact that the other Steel Angel was under his control and little more than his slave.

"That's...So horrible. One of my sister's is...A slave." Kurumi muttered sadly. The two humans could tell that the plight of her sister Angel greatly troubled her greatly.

"I wonder if there's a way to snap her out of it?" Sakura wondered, to which Naruto shook his head sadly.

"I don't know. I really don't know." He replied.

_A/N: Whew...That took a while to crank out. Anyway, the Chuunin Exams are underway, the second exam already over. They had their brush with the Snake Sennin, but managed to get out of there with incredible luck and Orochimaru underestimating them. Also, we see the advent of Saki and the brutality her unwakened state is capable of. Sarutboi has found more information on how the Angels function and concluded that she wasn't truly awake. They also now know who discovered her and activated her...Orochimaru. We can look forward to a smackdown of divine proportions in the future, since Kurumi is possibly the only one that can bring Saki down._


End file.
